From there, Del Potro won eight of the next nine games to claim the opening set and a take a 2-0 lead in the second. Nadal held at love, taking three games in a row for a 3-1 lead that he never gave up. Nadal playfully took a bite out of the Baccarat crystal trophy.ĭel Potro saved three break points to lead 1-0 in the third. before falling to his knees near the net and raising his arms in celebration.

He got up and hugged Del Potro, then trotted behind the baseline to clasp hands with billionaire tournament owner Larry Ellison of Oracle Corp.

As Del Potro’s forehand sailed wide on his fourth match point, Nadal collapsed flat on his back after playing 2 1/2 hours in the desert heat. But Nadal served out the match, dropping just one point in the final game. Nadal served three love games in the third set, capping his last one with a 123-mph ace that gave him a 5-3 lead.ĭel Potro came from love-40 down and fought off three match points to hold at 5-4. 1 Novak Djokovic in three sets apiece in becoming the second Argentine since Guillermo Villas in 1977 to reach the final here. He earned $1-million for his third Indian Wells title.ĭel Potro came up short in his bid to beat three Top-10 players in the same tournament for the second time in his career. Nadal broke a tie with Roger Federer with his record 22nd career ATP Tour Masters 1000 title. He won his 600th career match and will move to No. Indian Wells is his first hard-court title since Tokyo in October 2010, having lost in six previous finals on the surface.

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