Consider Vera Zvonareva, then, one of the better survival stories on the WTA Tour.

The Russian, whose frail nerves set back her career for a number of years, has–at the somewhat advanced tennis age of 24–ripened into a steely competitor with a prize worthy of her gifts. Zvonareva won her first-ever BNP Paribas Open title on Sunday in Indian Wells, Calif., defeating Ana Ivanovic, 7-6 (5), 6-2, in a wind-blown final.

Ivanovic dictated this match, for better or worse, by hitting impressive winners on one point and missing makeable shots on the next. Given the whipping winds that turned almost every groundstroke into a nasty, sidewinding curveball, it was hard to blame Ivanovic for many of her misses on shots that became comically difficult because of the absurd spins and loops taken by the wind-whipped ball. Nevertheless, Zvonareva withstood the weather and her opponent long enough to find the winner’s circle.

Ivanovic had two good looks on set points at the end of the first set, with Zvonareva serving at 5-6, but the fickle winds carried the Serbian’s shots astray. One chip forehand pass floated just beyond the baseline, and a backhand drive on a service return found the middle of the net.

Zvonareva held for 6-all and a first-set tiebreak. Once in the tennis equivalent of a crap shoot, the fourth-seeded Russian would emerge with a stranglehold on the match, as Ivanovic–after hitting a beautiful overhead to gain a 5-4 lead in the breaker–lost the plot in the final three points to give Zvonareva the first set, and the enormous psychological edge that came with it.

Precisely because playing in strong winds is such a mentally taxing proposition for a tennis player, the loser of the first set was going to have a huge uphill battle. Unsurprisingly, the fifth-seeded Ivanovic–who was defending her 2008 title in Indian Wells–wilted as the second set developed. In response, Zvonareva–knowing she merely needed to get out of the way and give Ivanovic every chance to make mistakes–played solid, high-percentage tennis to finish off her landmark victory.

It’s not common for 24-year-olds to win titles as big as Indian Wells after years in the tennis wildnerness, but Vera Zvonareva has done exactly that. A career-long survivor fittingly braved the kinds of winds that had battered her psyche in the past. Newly tough and unflappable, this rising Russian–who took a big step forward in late January by reaching her first Grand Slam semifinal at the Australian Open–is gaining enough confidence to make a serious run at a Grand Slam that would make her career complete.

First things first, though: Zvonareva has just claimed the biggest win of her life. Even greater prizes can wait for another day; this 24-year-old warrior has earned the right to celebrate, and to reflect on a long journey that just became a whole lot sweeter.

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Nadal ultimately prevailed in Saturday’s second semifinal, but not by a considerable margin. Nadal’s 6-4, 7-6 (4) victory, attained only after 1 hour and 50 minutes of baseline slugging, was the fruit of the untiring effort that has carried the Spaniard to the top of his sport. The seventh-seeded Roddick put up a good fight, but Nadal–as is so often the case these days–took a bunch of punches and outpointed his opponent on the scorecard.

Nadal and Roddick contested 141 points in this close encounter, with the top seed taking 73 points and losing 68. It’s true that tennis matches aren’t decided by aggregate points, but the overall totals from this confrontation indicate that Roddick competed with the world No. 1 on very even terms. Nadal won only because he claimed all the points he had to have.

On a day when Roddick hit 68 percent of his first serves and crushed a 137- mile-per-hour ace, Nadal faced a difficult challenge as a returner. Yet, the 22-year-old found a way to pick his spots and break Roddick three times.

Nadal’s first break felt a lot like his telling break of Roger Federer in the first set of this year’s Australian Open final. In the first point of the seventh game, Roddick–serving at 3-all–ran Nadal around the court and hit a volley to the ad side. Nadal, seemingly out of the point, made one of his lunging stab forehand passes that rocketed down the line and hit just inside the sideline, about one foot from the baseline. The remarkable down-the-line winner is exactly the kind of shot Nadal so regularly uses to demoralize opponents.

On the very next point, Roddick again dictated play, only to have Nadal hit yet another wicked topspin passing shot from a slightly more comfortable position. Roddick was in a winning position against 99 percent of the ATP Tour, but not against Nadal, who promptly broke for a 4-3 lead and easily held serve from there to close out the first set.

In the second set, with Roddick serving at 1-all, Nadal broke the American again with superb shotmaking. In the 15-30 point of that game, Nadal retrieved a high-quality drop shot from Roddick, and then won a “duel at 10 paces” exchange at net. Whenever Nadal and Roddick were both drawn to the net, the Spaniard–despite his preference for the baseline–showed better touch and reflexes than the 26-year-old American, whose serve-based style should lead to better net play… but doesn’t.

He excels from the backcourt, but he can win at the net. His groundstrokes are weapons, but they can also be used from nearly impossible defensive positions. One way or another, Rafael Nadal–even in the face of opponents who play really well–manages to dig out wins and advance in tournaments. With one more victory in tomorrow’s final against No. 4 Andy Murray, Nadal will own his second Indian Wells title in the past three years.

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This match literally had a turning point that affected the proceedings in a very surprising manner.

With Federer serving at 1-2 and love-15 in the final set, the Swiss superstar–coming off a superb second set in which he missed very few groundstrokes and caught Murray off balance with chip-and-charge approaches–won a fabulous extended rally with an inside-outside forehand to the ad court. Murray made a wrong turn to the middle of the court, and when he tried in vain to retrieve the Federer winner, his left knee briefly locked up. This same knee has been a persistently nagging source of pain in recent years for Murray, who felt slowed by the same body part in his loss to Federer in the U.S. Open final last September. When Federer saw Murray take a good 30 seconds to finally stand up after his fall, it was hard not to think that Murray was a man in distress.

Before continuing this tale in the California desert, rewind for a moment to last November in Shanghai, China. In the round-robin portion of the season-ending Tennis Masters Cup event, Federer and Murray played an epic three-setter in which Federer–despite raging back pain–somehow got off the deck and extended Murray to the bitter end before falling 7-5 in the third. On that day, Federer’s injury seemed to distract Murray, and the Swiss used adrenaline to surprise the Scot with clutch shots under pressure.

Moving back to this match in the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, a clear case of role reversal unfolded before a packed Stadium Court crowd, with one important difference: Murray, as the wounded man and not the hunter, managed to win anyway.

Federer’s rhythm, so smooth and noticeable for the previous 25-30 minutes, immediately left the court after the Murray fall. Three badly missed backhands caused Federer to lose serve in that 1-2 game, and Murray–who didn’t seem to suffer as much as his knee-lock originally suggested–reeled off some tremendous passing shots and a wicked drop shot to cruise home for the win. Federer’s level of play never picked up after Murray’s tumble, while the No. 4 player in the world regained the form that carried him to a decisive first-set win.

For some, pride goes before a fall. For Andy Murray, a victory came after one. It’s uncertain how fit he’ll be for tomorrow’s final against a high-caliber opponent, but if Murray can find a little more adrenaline and focus, he’ll walk away with his first title at Indian Wells.

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Less than two months since an Australian Open quarterfinal in which a severely dehydrated Djokovic retired in the fourth set, Roddick made sure that his tennis did the talking this time around. The seventh-seeded American, using the same court coverage and airtight serving that helped him win Down Under, played an extremely focused match to overwhelm Djokovic, 6-3, 6-2, and advance to the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open.

A magnetic field seems to exist between Roddick and Djokovic. These elite players met in each of the past two Grand Slam quarterfinals, and they took their round-of-8 act to this Masters 1000 event in California. After Djokovic won at the 2008 U.S. Open and Roddick then returned the favor, both men had a point to prove. Djokovic–besides having the need to defend a lot of rankings points at an event he won in 2008–hoped to show Roddick that his fitness and his all-around game were back on track. Roddick wanted to show the third-seeded Serb that he didn’t need a deficient Djokovic to advance in a tournament of appreciable significance.

After just 69 drama-free minutes of action, it became clear that Roddick–at least for the moment–has surpassed Djokovic on the tennis scene. On a day when no trainers were called and no medical timeouts were taken, Roddick simply handed down an old-fashioned whipping to tell his opponent that Australia was a telling indicator, and not an aberration.

Roddick might not have been overwhelming in this match, but the soon-to-be-married 26-year-old was certainly solid and impregnable. Using his serve as a set-up piece more than a finisher, Roddick hit 81 percent of his first serves. Despite just 5 aces in the match, Roddick’s first-serve consistency enabled him to dictate points and set up an unerring forehand. Roddick won 77 percent of his service points, including four straight points after Djokovic found a 15-40 opening at 1-all in the second set. Never rattled and confident in his groundies, Roddick played a blended game as a server, and Djokovic couldn’t offer a credible response.

As a receiver of serve, practically nothing changed. Roddick defended well and forced Djokovic to create pace from the baseline. The Serb lacked sting and penetration on his groundies, so whenever Roddick produced an appreciable amount of depth, Djokovic faltered. Outclassed in all aspects of the match, Djokovic lost the final five games of the match, a very disappointing outcome for the man who owned Indian Wells a year ago.

Throughout 2008, Novak Djokovic had eclipsed Andy Roddick on the ATP Tour. Now, however, the winds of change are blowing. A 21-year-old Serb with designs on a world No. 1 ranking should no longer worry about Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. For now, Djokovic has to figure out a way to solve the puzzle posed by Andy Roddick.

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No longer an emotionally volatile performer who would telegraph her feelings to an opponent, Zvonareva allowed Victoria Azarenka to learn about psychology. Zvonareva’s steadiness enabled the fourth-seeded Russian to oust the eight-seeded Azarenka, 6-3, 6-3, in the first semifinal of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif.

Zvonareva was hardly spectacular on a hot and cloudless day, but the 2009 Australian Open semifinalist played impressive tennis when she had to.

The point that defined this duel in the desert came unusually early, with Azarenka serving at 2-3, 15-all, in the first set. Zvonareva hit a groundstroke that landed in the area of the baseline. Just as Azarenka was preparing to hit the ball, the lineswoman made an “out” call but then immediately corrected herself. Azarenka challenged the call and lost, as the Hawk-Eye replay system showed the ball clipping the back end of the baseline.

This is when controversy entered the stadium court at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

The original “out” call naturally affected Azarenka’s concentration and timing. The Belorussian up-and-comer, who just recently broke into the WTA top 10, pulled away from the ball and missed the shot. It’s a mistake for a player to anticipate a call before it’s actually made, but Azarenka was prepared to hit this particular shot.

In light of such a scenario, the point should have been replayed. Instead of making the proper ruling, however, the chair umpire mystifyingly decided to award the point to Zvonareva, who subsquently broke for a 4-2 lead. Once Zvonareva established a clear advantage on the scoreboard, Azarenka–doing what Zvonareva might have done in past years–completely unraveled.

Unnerved by the chair’s poor decision, Azarenka began to spray her groundstrokes into the doubles alleys. When Zvonareva consolidated her break to get a 5-2 lead in the first set, Azarenka called for a coaching time-out, but one could see that this attempt to regain motivation simply wouldn’t work. Azarenka slumped in her chair and projected the attitude of an already-beaten competitor.

Throughout a second set in which Zvonareva held the lead, Azarenka repeatedly threatened to smash her racket. By openly revealing her emotions, Azarenka told her older and wiser opponent that a steady, no-frills approach would be enough to win. It was hardly shocking, then, to see Zvonareva rely on high-percentage groundstrokes and allow Azarenka to implode.

Zvonareva had one scary game when leading 4-3 in the second set, but the No. 4 seed saved three break points–one of them with a rare ace–to gain a 5-3 advantage. A dispirited Azarenka predictably sagged in her following service game, and when Zvonareva registered her second break of the set, the match was all over in just 80 minutes.

Victoria Azarenka is 17-2 on the WTA tour in 2009, but Vera Zvonareva has the same record as well. Two talented players took the court in California, but only one of them had the mental toughness needed to advance to the Indian Wells final.

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When Roger Federer battled past Fernando Gonzalez for a three-set win in the round of 16, tennis lovers got their wish.

Lots of fascinating questions filled the buzz before this consequential quarterfinal, but the most important query had to focus on the mental dimension of this confrontation: Just how would the 10th-seeded Verdasco handle his status as the sport’s most ascendant player, up against the second seed from Switzerland?

In 92 minutes of match time, tennis fans found their answer, a clear and resounding “no.”

The great challenge of professional tennis is to be able to whack that little yellow ball between the lines with mind-numbing consistency, week after week and year after year. Lofty rankings, tournament titles, and big cash prizes come to the players who can back up results in multiple settings and on different surfaces. The task in front of Verdasco was to show that his deep run in Melbourne wasn’t a fluke. One match at a non-slam event will never define a full season, but Verdasco at least needed to show Federer that his mental toughness still existed at the high level seen in Australia.

Unfortunately for the Spaniard, old demons crept into the picture at the worst possible moments, enabling Federer to pull out a 6-3, 7-6 (5) win and move to Saturday’s semifinals against fourth-seeded Andy Murray.

The story of this fairly mediocre quarterfinal–which featured shaky, medium-pace hitting and cautious serving–came when Verdasco, once behind 4-1 in the second set, bounced back to break Federer twice and take a 6-5 lead. The new and improved Verdasco would have taken care of business and forced a third set.

The old Verdasco? Well, let’s just say it reappeared precisely when a faltering Federer, betrayed by a leaky backhand, was on the ropes and staring at a long evening under the lights.

At 30-all and just two points from the set, Verdasco double faulted in a scene reminiscent of the end of the Nadal semifinal in Melbourne. Verdasco battled back to earn a set point in the game, but instead of going for his shots the way he did in Australia, Verdasco surprisingly pulled his punches. The lefty spun in slow first serves (under 90 miles per hour), giving Federer the chance to work his way into rallies and win them. The Swiss star saved that set point and then broke Verdasco just moments later when the Spaniard’s backhand floated beyond the baseline.

Suddenly given new life by his tormented opponent, Federer unsurprisingly played a confident tiebreaker and popped his first serve with extra authority. Racing out to a 6-2 lead before banging some nervous groundstrokes into the middle of the net, Federer–on his fourth match point–found another hard first serve down the middle, and Verdasco’s backhand stab return landed just long.

As Roger Federer moves to the semifinals, Fernando Verdasco is left to wonder what might have been. A talented 25-year-old made a name for himself in Australia; however, if his nerves overwhelm his serves in future matches, this loss in Indian Wells will linger for some time to come.

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