It’s been known to happen on a tennis court: One player experiences a scary moment and gives the appearance of physical shakiness, only to see an opponent lose concentration. This is precisely what occurred in the first men’s semifinal of the BNP Paribas Open, as fourth-seeded Andy Murray recovered from a fall to blitz second-seeded Roger Federer in a decisive third set. Murray’s 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 triumph puts the Scot in tomorrow’s championship match against the Rafael Nadal-Andy Roddick winner.

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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