Both the men's and women's singles finals didn't end up the great matches many had hoped for Sunday at Indian Wells, but for two completely different reasons. Men's tennis' top-ranked Novak Djokovic handled the world's 14th-ranked Milos Raonic in two straight sets 6-2, 6-0, and with the win captured his record fifth BNP Paribas Open title.
The win is Djokovic's third-straight finals win at Indian Wells. The world's No. 1 tennis player only proved once again why he is the greatest in the sport with two straight set wins over ninth-ranked Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quarterfinals, followed by two straight set wins over fifth-ranked Rafael Nadal in the semifinals.
Djokovic dominated in both sets against Raonic on Sunday, beating him in just an hour and 17 minutes, as the 25-year-old Canadian was not landing the serves he had earlier in the tournament. Raonic finished the match landing just 50 percent of his first serves and with four aces. Despite the loss, Raonic is having an impressive year, reaching the Australian Open semifinal back in January. Following his loss Sunday, Raonic is 14-2 on the season.
While Djokovic rolled in his finals match Sunday, women tennis' top-ranked Serena Williams was upset by 15th-ranked Victoria Azarenka in two straight sets 6-4, 6-4. Azarenka left the crowd at Indian Wells in a stunned silence, finishing he match with Williams in less than 90 minutes.
Williams struggled against Azarenka Sunday making 33 unforced errors. She formerly unstoppable Williams was clearly frustrated, as she smashed her racket after she fell 3-0 in the second set. Azarenka's finals win at Indian Wells will return the Belarusian to the top 10 in women's tennis for the first time since August 2014. She will move up seven spots, as she will become the eighth ranked women's tennis player in the WTA Tour rankings Monday.
"I had no doubt in my mind that I will give everything I can," said Azarenka. "I couldn't control how she was going to play and she was throwing some bombs there. But I stayed tough because it's the only way to win, to stay strong, to keep doing what's been working. I just wanted to work hard, give it my all, and it worked."
