On Tough Day for Americans, Blake's Win Lifts Spirits

At 33 years of age, James Blake is no spring chicken, but as he proved today at Indian Wells, he's not quite over the hill either.

By Chris Oddo

(March 8, 2013) -- When promising starts from 23-year-old Steve Johnson and 20-year-old Jack Sock suddenly alchemized into a pair of disappointing losses, James Blake came to the rescue.

What those two promising wildcards lacked in experience and finishing touch, Blake (also a wildcard) more than made up for in grit and moxie.

At 33, an age considered to be one stop from geriatric in tennis terms, James Blake is not taking any of this for granted. That much was obvious from the scream he let out after finishing off Dutchman Robin Haase, 6-3, 6-4, in first-round action on Friday.

It was a defiant scream, one that spoke volumes of Blake's current mindset. Now that the expectations of being one of the top two Americans are way back in his rearview mirror, Blake is content to drive on as one of the tour's senior citizens, daring his younger foes to try to run him off the road before he runs them.

Now, perhaps more than ever, Blake seems to relish the competition, the chance to shine, and the fact that he's been blessed with one of tennis's most jaw-dropping forehands. Today on the big stadium, the former Indian Wells finalist (2006) turned back the clock, playing like a man possessed, pushing his more timid, more calculated opponent back behind the baseline with booming forehands and one-handed backhands that were taken on the rise.

Blake jumped out to a 4-0 lead and looked to be headed for a resistance-free victory, but Haase, to his credit, picked up his level to make the match competitive.

The World No. 47 closed within a break in the first set before Blake served it out, and in the second set the two played some of the most riveting tennis of the day before a sparse yet engaged crowd, many of whom were bundled up in multiple layers thanks to the unseasonably chilly and windy afternoon.

Earlier in the day Jack Sock, Blake's doubles partner for two final appearances over the last two weeks but not here at Indian Wells, had failed to convert a match point against Ivo Karlovic in the second set. It was a mishap that the tour newbie would come to regret deeply as he fell to the giant Croatian 6-3, 6-7(8), 6-2.

But these are the growing pains that young players like Sock are bound to endure. While his run to the Memphis quarterfinals may indeed be indicative of great things to come for Sock, tennis champions aren't built overnight anymore in this day and age where experience trumps youth more often than not.

The same can be said of Steve Johnson, a two-time NCAA champion who was ranked in the 600's last year when he lost in the first round of qualifying to Frank Dancevic.

This year, after a quarterfinal appearance at San Jose, Johnson sits at a career-high 134. He's improved for sure, but his lack of a workable backhand on Friday would lead to his undoing against the 27-year-old Spaniard. Johnson, like Blake and Sock, has a weapons-grade forehand that can completely dominate a rally. But on the medium-slow paced hard courts at Indian Wells, he made far too many errors with his forehand, and needed his backhand too much to save him.

He still might have won had he not played a tight game at 4-4 in the third set against Andujar. From there the Spaniard seized the moment and finished him off, 2-6, 6-1, 6-4.

But there would be no finishing Blake off on this day. The American played inspired tennis throughout, and even though the second set was tight, he stayed with the script, dictated play, and earned a break point at 3-3 that looked to be pivotal. Haase would save it but the resilient Blake earned two more in the next game, securing the second to serve for the match.

It wouldn't be easy from there. Blake made two shaky errors and found himself at 30-all. Two points from a victory yet also two points from a nightmare.

On the next point he shanked an easy overhead, but it found the open court anyway.

It was that kind of day for James Blake. He was rewarded for his energy and his attitude. He closed it out on the next point. It was a win well deserved, and for the Americans, much needed.

Blake will face Jo-Wilfried Tsong in round two.

(Photo Credit: AP)