By Chris Oddo | Saturday, March 15, 2014

 

Can Alexandr Dolgopolov and John Isner spoil what would be a dream Indian Wells final for many?

Photo Source: AP

A pair of dangerous interlopers will try to make things difficult for a pair of all-time greats on Saturday at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, as Alexandr Dolgopolov and John Isner will look to pull the upset against Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, respectively.

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After those two tilts, doubles will take center stage, with women's and men's doubles finals on Stadium 1.

Here's a breakdown of what's to come on Saturday:

Roger Federer vs. Alexandr Dolgopolov, 12 Noon

Roger Federer will be back in the top five next week, and the four-time Indian Wells champion is playing like he could go even higher. The Swiss maestro enters the Indian Wells semis for the 5th time without the loss of a set, and he's won the title on two of those occasions.

On Saturday Federer will face the improvisational, free-flowing game of Ukranian Alexandr Dolgopolov for the second time in his career. The World No. 31 is attempting to become just the sixth player in history and the first outside the top 30 to defeat Federer and Nadal in the same event. After taking out Nadal in a third-set tiebreaker in the third round, he's dispatched Fabio Fognini and Milos Raonic in straight sets.

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He's relaxed, confident and on the rise; but let's keep in mind, so is Federer, and this matchup should make for some pretty compelling tennis, with Dolgopolov pushing Federer in the rallies and Federer looking to gain the edge with his experience and ability to keep Dolgopolov from hitting the fuzz off the ball as he so often looks to do.

Expect Federer to look to make this into a chess match, taking rhythm and pace away from Dolgopolov, while the Ukranian will try to make it a track meet and a hitting contest.

Whoever succeeds in their mission will be the likely winner.

Pick: Federer in Two

Novak Djokovic vs. John Isner, 2nd Match

The obviously enticing item on the menu is the Isner serve vs. the Djokovic return, two of the best in the world in their categories, but this matchup has become more than a serve versus return matchup in their six meetings, with four of the six going the distance.

Isner has won four of the last five tiebreakers against the Serb, and that success has propelled him to key victories in the 2012 Indian Wells semifinal and in last year's Cincinnati quarterfinal, but more than the serve-return matchup, Isner and Djokovic will test each other's ability to summon their best shotmaking at the most opportune moment.

This match, like all matches against Isner when he is scorching-hot like he is right now (on the surface he is best-suited for to boot), will come down to a very thin margin. For Djokovic to win he must minimizes his lapses in concentration, particularly on his serve, and that is something that the Serb has had trouble with in the last year-plus. He's been brilliant more often than not, but there have been quite a few times where the former No. 1 and six-time Grand Slam champion has just been, plain and simple, inexplicably flat.

If he comes out flat today he'll get mowed down by an in-form Isner. If he comes out with hair bristling and teeth showing, he should be just fine.

Pick: Djokovic in Three

Su-Wei Hsieh and Shuai Peng vs. Sania Mirza and Cara Black, 3rd Match

Hsieh and World No. 1 Peng came back from a set and a break down to take down Stosur and Kuznetsova in the semis, but Black and Mirza are 2-0 in WTA finals and lead the head-to-head with Hsieh and Peng, 1-0.

Pick: Mirza and Black in Two

Bryan Brothers vs. Peya and Soares

After a week's worth of star-studded doubles tilts it is back to the tried-and-true specialists in the final. Puts a smile on the face of the real doubles fan, doesn't it? Mike and Bob Bryan will shoot for their 27th Masters title (wow) against Peya and Soares, the team that took out Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka.

Pick: Bryans in Match Tiebreak