Needless to say, John Isner and Jack Sock should team up more often on the ATP World Tour doubles circuit.

The American duo improved to 14-5 together, notching their second team title 7-6(4), 7-6(2) over countrymen Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan at the BNP Paribas Open. They are the first all-American tandem to lift the trophy since the Bryans went back-to-back in 2013-14.

With the title, their first since the 2016 Rolex Shanghai Masters, Isner and Sock claim 1,000 ATP Doubles Rankings points and split $439,350 in prize money. They did not drop a set through four matches, becoming just the third to do so in the past 30 years in Indian Wells. Rafael Nadal and Marc Lopez also achieved the feat in 2012, following Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram in 2008.

“It’s pretty special,” said Isner. “I think more importantly for both Jack and I, just getting that winning feeling back. Admittedly, both of us have not played singles that well this year.

“Doubles can oftentimes be a springboard to singles success. So I think for me personally – and I think I can speak for Jack – I think that can be the most important thing really out of this whole week is playing some tough doubles matches and coming through in the clutch and getting that feeling sort of back again. I think for both of us, that was a good thing.”

Isner and Sock claimed victory after one hour and 27 minutes, firing six aces and saving three of four break points. After dropping the opening set in a tie-break, Bob earned the twins’ lone break of the match, poaching a volley winner on a deciding point at 3-all. 

But Isner would respond in kind in the next game, breaking right back himself with a bevy of pummeling forehands. And the 32-year-old would take over in the ensuing tie-break, launching a forehand down the middle for the decisive mini-break. He and Sock would close out the win on their first championship point.

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“I have been fortunate enough to be in my third final here,” added Sock. “I’ve been able to win two of them, which has been super special. Like John said, obviously it’s an incredible 10 days here. Probably almost every player’s favourite event of the year. Family and friends and loved ones are out here and you’re renting a house. And it’s relaxing, and you’re still getting to play super high-level tennis. And then the crowds, on top of it, are just amazing.

“And it was super special today to be able to play another American team, but it was a little bit different, obviously. The rest of the week prior, we had all the fans on our side. It was a really, really cool atmosphere.”

Individually, Sock notched his 10th doubles title and third at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 level. It was his second victory of the year, having prevailed alongside Jackson Withrow in Delray Beach last month. For Isner, it was the North Carolina native’s fifth triumph and also his third at the Masters 1000 level.

Meanwhile, the Bryans take home 600 ATP Doubles Rankings points and $214,410 in prize money. Competing in Indian Wells for the 20th consecutive year, they remain in search of their first Masters 1000 crown since Rome 2016. 

Tennis fans will look back on Roger Federer’s 2006 season as arguably the greatest in the Swiss’ legendary career. A staggering 92-win campaign was kicked off with an impressive 16-0 run.

For more than a decade, that win streak has stood as Federer’s best start to a season. Until now.

On Saturday, the World No. 1 completed a 17-0 run to kick off his 2018 campaign, storming back from the brink of defeat to overcome Borna Coric 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 at the BNP Paribas Open. With Pete Sampras and Rod Laver in attendance, Federer advanced to his eighth final in Indian Wells, exhibiting his trademark poise and guile to outlast his Croatian opponent in two hours and 21 minutes. 

Very little was going Federer’s way in the early stages, but the 36-year-old refused to go down without a fight. Peppering his backhand with bludgeoning blows, Coric employed great depth on his groundstrokes to rattle the Swiss and snatch the opener. And he demonstrated the maturity of a veteran to stick with his gameplan after conceding a break lead in the second set. But Federer would prove to be too strong in the end, advancing to his 146th tour-level final with a gritty three-set victory in front of a packed house on Stadium 1. 

Federer’s Undefeated Starts

Federer, who is assured of remaining at No. 1 in the ATP Rankings through the end of the tournament, will vie for a sixth title against either Milos Raonic or Juan Martin del Potro. The defending champion in the desert, he extended his win streak in Indian Wells to 10 straight. 

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Federer relinquished his first set of the fortnight at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden and just his fourth thus far in 2018 (40-4 this year). Conditions vary greatly between the day and night sessions in Indian Wells, with the ball leaping off the court in the afternoon. Having almost exclusively featured under the lights entering today’s encounter, with the exception of one rain-delayed set, he struggled to adjust his quick-strike game in the windier early stages. 

As unforced errors leaked from the Swiss’ groundstrokes, an aggressive Coric pounced. Striking the ball with great depth, the composed Croatian would secure a late break for 6-5 and captured the first set as Federer netted a backhand. In total, Coric fired eight winners including five off his forehand wing to claim the opener after 41 minutes. Seemingly feeding off Federer’s pace, he hammered the ball with aplomb, often catching the five-time champ out of the position.

A forehand winner notched an immediate break to open the second set, but, as Coric neared the finish line, nerves settled into the 21-year-old’s game. Federer struck just four unforced errors in the last four games of the set and Coric’s serve would begin to fall short in the box, opening the door. The Swiss would take full advantage, breaking for 5-4 and forcing a decider as a Coric forehand sailed long. And Federer would claw back from a break down once again in the third set, eventually breaking to love to claim victory and secure his place in the championship clash.

With the victory, Federer extended his FedEx ATP Head2Head lead over Coric to 2-0, having previously earned a comprehensive 6-2, 6-1 win in the 2015 Dubai semi-finals. He has now rallied from a set down on two occasions in 2018, both of which scored the Swiss a significant victory. In Rotterdam, he fought back to defeat Robin Haase, securing his return to World No. 1 after four years. 

For Coric, the Croatian will hold his head high after completing a dream week in Indian Wells. He dropped just nine games in reaching the fourth round, before registering back-to-back three-set victories over Taylor Fritz and Kevin Anderson to advance to his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 semi-final. The 21-year-old is projected to rise to No. 36 in the ATP Rankings on Monday, just three spots off his career-high.

(1) Hubert Hurkacz is Poland’s surging #NextGenATP hope
Projected to rise to a career-high in the Top 200 of the ATP Rankings on Monday, Hurkacz, who turned 21 last month, will be the youngest Polish player to do so since Jerzy Janowicz in 2011. The Pole is into the semi-finals at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Shenzhen, China, after appearing in his second final last week in Zhuhai.

“In October, I was around the Top 400, so I was trying to move up the ATP Rankings. I played five tournaments in a row and did really well, reaching two quarter-finals and my first final. I’m happy that that put me in the qualies of the Australian Open. This helped me a lot mentally to start believing that I could win those tournaments. 

“Now, it’s the beginning of the new season and while a couple of tournaments didn’t go the way I wanted, I think I’ve improved my game a lot since last autumn. If I continue to play like this, I know I can win these Challenger tournaments.”

(2) The 21-year-old has lofty ambitions
Hurkacz is projected to rise to 10th in the ATP Race To Milan and a career-high of No. 177 in the ATP Rankings following his semi-final run in Shenzhen. But the Pole isn’t satisfied with making his Top 200 debut. He is aiming much higher.

“No, Top 200 was not a goal of mine. I want to be Top 50 this year. It’s still far away, but you never know. I just want to play good and improve my game. Hopefully I will win some tournaments and move up. I want to join those other [#NextGenATP] guys in the Top 100 and play there for the rest of my career. For now, it would be nice to play in Milan this year.

“It would be very nice to help tennis grow in Poland, so that many younger players will compete at the ATP level in the future. Of course, there are many younger guys who play well and I hope that when they are finished playing junior tournaments they will come here to the Challenger level and even higher.”

(3) He likes to go big with his forehand, but takes pride in his mental strength
Hurkacz admits that his biggest weapon is his forehand, saying that he loves to use it to open the court and make his opponents run. However, after recently teaming up with coach Pawel Stadniczenko, he points to his newfound confidence and mental toughness as arguably his most potent asset.

“I’ve been with Pawel for just a half a year, but he has helped me a lot and I’m very thankful to him. He has especially helped me mentally, to stay positive. That was the biggest change. To be more solid during the matches and not having as many ups and downs. I’m competing at a higher level and am now able to win against better opponents. It’s good.”

(4) Fast cars and a good book – Hubert’s passions extend beyond the court
From the exhilaration of watching a car race to the tranquility of curling up with a good book, Hurkacz’s passions hit both ends of the spectrum. 

“I’m really passionate about cars. It’s my hobby and I really like them. I love to drive. And I like to go to the racing circuit and watch them, when I have time. I also like reading books. It’s relaxing for me. Sometimes I read books that help me on the court with the mental side.”

(5) Hubert trained with Lucas Pouille in Dubai
It’s something that any player in the beginning stages of his pro journey would covet. In the offseason, Hurkacz traveled to Dubai to train with the World No. 12, gaining valuable experience in preparation for his 2018 campaign. With few chances to spar with a superstar like Pouille in his native Poland, it was a significant opportunity. 

“I have been training mostly in Poland but last year Lucas Pouille invited me to come to Dubai and that was a great experience. We’ve been hitting ever since we met in Florida. We was there practising and then later on he asked me to come to Dubai. I was very happy with that and it helped me a lot.”