After another exciting 2005 season that brought 81 wins from 85 matches and 11 ATP titles to his name, Roger Federer was also ready to fight in the next, opening the 2006 campaign with trophies in Doha and Melbourne before losing to Rafael Nadal in the final in Dubai.
The Swiss came to Indian Wells as the two-time defending champion and favorite for another crown, demonstrating his dominance on the hard court by dropping a set in six games for the 36th ATP trophy. Roger defeated Nicolás Massú, Olivier Rochus, Richard Gasquet, Ivan Ljubicic and Paradorn Srichaphan to secure the spot in the final on March 19, defeating James Blake 7-5, 6-3, 6-0 in the title match. to become the first player in tournament history with three consecutive titles.
The match lasted one hour and 43 minutes, and was their third match, with Roger leading them all in straight sets. Federer lost his serve twice, though that didn’t cost him long after a rock-solid performance on the return, stealing 53% of Blake’s serve points and creating 16 break opportunities, converting seven to seal the deal. in the last final to the best of five sets of Indian Wells.
Federer took command and marched towards the finish line after a tight first set, hitting more winners and fewer unforced errors than his rival and forcing many errors with his sharp and aggressive groundstrokes.
The American couldn’t find the zone with his serve and starting right hand, losing on the shorter rallies of up to four strokes and allowing Federer to have the upper hand in the mid-range and on the more extended exchanges to bring the win home in a strong road.
James got the first break in Game 3 when Roger landed a long forehand, scoring another 3-1 to rush to a huge lead and gain momentum.
Roger Federer defeated James Blake in the 2006 Indian Wells final.
Facing a mountain to climb if he wanted to get back on the positive side of the scoreboard, the Swiss began the chase with a break to zero in the sixth game, reducing the disadvantage and gaining momentum earlier than the rest of the set.
James built a 5-3 lead with a service winner in game eight, serving for the opener at 5-4. Federer created three break points that Blake successfully dodged before double failing on the fourth break opportunity to bring Roger back into contention, with the Swiss leveling the score at 5-5.
Momentum was now on the side of the defending champion, who broke the American to zero in Game 12 to grab the first set 7-5, adding four games in a row to gain the lead and never look back.
Federer sailed through his service games in set number two and stole James’ serve in game eight with a volley winner, opening a 5-3 gap and serving for the set. A backhand winner sealed the deal for him in another comfortable service game, opening up a 7-5, 6-3 lead and having a great opportunity to clinch the match in the next set.
Blake had nothing else left in the tank, and Federer claimed that part of the match 6-0, finishing the job with a winning serve to celebrate his third straight title at Indian Wells after winning 14 of the last 17 games.
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