Indian Wells Tennis 2012: Where to Watch Live Stream Online of Federer Vs. Isner, Sharapova Vs. Azarenka, Preview, Predictions
When and Where: The action gets under way at Indian Wells from 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, with the women's final between Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova. The men's final between John Isner and Roger Federer will follow the conclusion of that match, not before 4 p.m. ET. Coverage of both the women's and men's finals will be on ABC. A live stream is also available online with a subscription to TennisTV.com, on the tournament Web site.
Following the singles' finals you can also watch a live stream of the men's double's final, featuring Rafael Nadal & Marc Lopez vs. John Isner & Sam Querrey on ESPN3.
Preview: Revenge is very much the theme in both women's and men's finals at Indian Wells on Sunday.
First up, the climax of the women's competition sees a repeat of the Australian Open final of just six weeks ago. On that occasion Victoria Azarenka upset the more experienced Maria Sharapova, claiming the title with an emphatic 6-3, 6-0 victory.
Azarenka has since cemented her place as the World No. 1, with her unbeaten run since the start of the year currently standing at 22 matches. The Belarusian will have Martina Hingis' WTA Tour record 37-match unbeaten start to the year, in 1997, in her sights.
Azarenka vs. Sharapova is also the first time that the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds have met in the final of a WTA Tour event since Justine Henin beat Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final of Sydney back in 2008.
Like Sharapova, revenge will also firmly be on the mind of Roger Federer as he takes on John Isner in the final of the men's Masters 1000 event.
Isner caused a huge upset by defeating Federer in four sets on clay in Switzerland to help the U.S. record a 5-0 victory over Federer's nation in the Davis Cup last month.
That result would certainly have hurt Federer, especially as his form has otherwise been so outstanding since last-year's U.S. Open. Indeed that loss to Isner was one of just two defeats he has tasted since Flushing Meadows last September.
Federer did a superb job of handling the wind much better than opponent Rafael Nadal in Saturday's semi-final. It is a skill that will also be needed in the final, with high winds again expected.
Isner, though will not be easy pickings for his more illustrious opponent. The big-serving American comes into the final in the form of his life. Isner recorded his finest win, alongside the victory over Federer, in defeating World No. 1 in a final-set tiebreak in yesterday's semi-final.
Already assured of a place in the world's top 10, Isner will be confident of securing another upset on Sunday.
Predictions: The scale of the defeat Azarenka handed down to Sharapova in the final in Melbourne was a major surprise. Yet it was similar in fashion to her loss to Petra Kvitova in the final of Wimbledon last year.
On both occasions the Russian came into the final as the more experienced player, yet both times Sharapova looked the competitior more overawed by the occasion and unable to play her best tennis.
With Azarenka also winning the last three meetings between the pair in straight sets and beginning to look more and more at ease as the player to beat on the women's tour, the Belarusian is the clear favorite to prevail once more in Indian Wells.
Azarenka over Sharapova in straight sets.
In the men's final of the BNP Paribas Open, Federer goes into the match arguably feeling better about his game than he has done in some time. A win, and such an emphatic victory at that, over his fiercest of rivals, Nadal, will have been of huge pleasure to the former world No. 1.
For Isner, after defeating Djokovic so spectacularly and already claiming his spot in the top 10, there may well be something of a hangover in the final.
With rain again expected in Indian Wells during the afternoon, another advantage for Federer may be his greater experience at handling the on-again, off-again scenario that rain brings, especially in tense matches. He has won six Wimbledon titles, after all.
Federer over Isner in straight sets.
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