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By Chris Oddo Photo Credit: Jeff Gross/Getty Images

Heroes and Zeros is Tennis Now's way of saying goodbye to the tennis week that was. As much as we'd like each week to last forever, there always comes a time when it's best just to move on to the next one. That time is now... 
 
Zero: Michael Llodra
 
Indian Wells is an idyllic tennis setting, which is why a diverse, enthusiastic group of tennis crazies from all over the world make the pilgrimage every year. On Saturday, Michael Llodra spoiled that idyllic setting for two fans (actually a lot more than that once his deplorable actions were reported) when he released an unprompted racial epithet in their direction during his 2nd round match with Ernests Gulbis. Calling a Korean-American woman a “f***ing Chinese” is beyond reproach (and no, not just because she isn’t Chinese). The $2500 fine that Llodra received is a start, as is the promise that Llodra would call the offended party personally, but the tournament, the ATP and Llodra should all make public apologies.
 
One of our die-hard tennis fans was verbally abused by a player on Saturday, and you can’t sugar-coat that, but if Llodra wants to take responsibility for his actions and admit he was horribly wrong, both in action and at his core, perhaps he can emerge from this a better man. There are larger forces at work here. Llodra needs to take a good hard look in the mirror, and anybody else who might be tempted to overlook the Frenchman’s antics because he’s a fantastic player needs to do the same.
 
Hero: Christina McHale
 
Wow is all I can say about this feisty young American. Quite an impressive achievement for the New Jersey native to knock off Petra Kvitova on Sunday, in an effort that took equal parts consistency, athleticism, fortitude, and composure. Simply put, McHale had it all yesterday, and as a result, the No. 32 seed got her fourth career top ten win.
 
Lots of people will remark that Petra Kvitova’s errors opened the door for 19-year-old Christina McHale’s stunning upset of the world No. 3 yesterday, but I’m here to make the argument that McHale’s strong and steady ground game made those mistakes happen. There were a lot of times during the 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 shocker where McHale easily handled balls that were absolutely RIPPED in her direction. Her footwork, fitness and focus were remarkable yesterday, as time and time again she answered Kvitova’s scorching attempts to overpower her with equally destructive replies.
  
Zero: The Flu
 
Reports of a Coachella Valley wide flu-like virus afflicting the grounds of the Indian Wells Tennis Garden tempered enthusiasm for an otherwise perfect day for tennis, and prompted Ben Rothenberg, tennis blogger for the New York Times to tweet: “Another one bites the [vomit-covering saw]dust. 2009 champion Vera Zvonareva has withdrawn with a viral illness, too.”
 
The tournament released a statement acknowledging the presence of a virus “that is transmitted by air and direct contact and not passed via food,” but all you needed to do was look at the day’s list of withdrawals. Monfils got the bug. Zvonareva got the bug. Rybarikova got the bug. A journalist for the L.A. Times was hospitalized after it got the best of her. 
 
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Hopefully, things will settle down soon. It’s devastating to see so many top players miss a chance to play one of the biggest hardcourt events of the year because of this.
  
Hero: Victoria Azarenka
 
After scratching and clawing her way through a choppy match versus Mona Barthel in her first match in the desert, Vika was flawless in her straight-sets demolition of two-time Grand Slam winner Svetlana Kuznetsova on Sunday. I’m talking No. 1-in-the-world-with-a-Slam-to-boot flawless. Azarenka’s 19th consecutive win to start the season places her two matches away from Serena William’s 2003 streak of 21, which was the longest WTA match to start a season this century.
  
Zero: Andy Murray
 
Saturday’s straight-sets flop against unseeded Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez might only be a speed bump in what might turn out to be a career-defining year for the Scot, but man was he off his game at times. This was a poor effort from the 24-year-old, and for one of the top guys in the game—who have all become accustomed to winning when they are not at their best—it’s inexcusable. End of story.
 
With the loss Murray blew a huge opportunity to grab some ranking points at Indian Wells, a tournament he also botched last year, when he was upset by Donald Young in the second round.
 
Hero: Jamie Hampton
 
Huge wins over Jelena Jankovic and Jarmila Gajdosova for the 22-year-old American woman, who last week climbed into the WTA’s top 100 for the first time. She’s the only wild card left in the draw now, and she’ll face Agnieszka Radwanska in the round of 16.

 

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