Ind ian Wells proves that the favourite tag wins nothing

THE second round “nail-biter” between young guns Lloyd Harris and sixth seed Casper Ruud at the BNP Paribas in Indian Wells set the tone for the entire tournament.

This was not because of the high standard of tennis and the fact that Ruud eventually came from a set down, saving eight break points, to beat the South African, but on account of some salient advice the Norwegian imparted in his post-match interview. Ruud divulged that as a youngster, his father had always ingrained in him that “losers make excuses, whereas winners find a way”.

This simple yet profound catchphrase then spread like wildfire across the various networks, with every commentator latching onto it, like a dog clasping a meaty bone, subsequently repeating it ad nauseum.

Clearly the impact of the comment extended to certain players, too. Cameron Norrie, to whom we can stake a claim, given he was born in South Africa, has elevated himself both to the position of British No 1 and to his first Masters 1 000 quarter- and semi-finals in thrashing the feisty 11th seed, Diego Schwartzman, in straight sets. Schwartzman himself had had to put up a brilliant fight to fell the source of all inspiration, Ruud, in the previous round, before taking on Norrie.

The British World No 26 is now realistically eyeing his chances of beating Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz to the last qualifying spot in The Nitto ATP Finals in Turin in November.

Meanwhile, American Taylor Fritz, buoyed by fervent fans, laid waste to another top seed, Alexander Zverev, in a third set tie-break, to advance to the semis.

Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, once hailed as “Baby Federer” – for emulating the Swiss maestro’s one-handed backhand and volleying skills – suddenly reincarnated himself into US Open 2019 form, when he beat Federer for the first time in five sets. Dimitrov produced a superlative win over the indomitable No 1 seed, Daniil Medvedev (who had ironically beaten him in the US Open semis of 2019).

There have been some equally inspired performances on the Ladies side of the draw: Spain’s Paula Badosa, cheered on by South African Oscar winner Charlize Theron and her mother in the stands, first had to overcome the former Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber, and then her arch-rival and close friend, Tunisian Ons Jabeur, to become the first Spanish player to reach the BNP Paribas final in 25 years.

The World No 27 will have no doubt had Ruud’s indelible mantra etched in the back of her mind, when she confronted the two-time champion and ferocious former No 1, Victoria Azarenka, in their final yesterday. As for Ons Jabeur, she can revel in the knowledge that she is the first Arab to break into the Top 10 in the world, and that she too is an inspiration in her own right, a role model not prone to giving up on any given day.

It is impossible not to recall ex-champion Bianca Andreescus’s warning to the two young teenage US Open finalists I quoted last week: “It’s easy to get to the top, it’s not so easy staying on top.”

Both have been toppled prematurely in the BNP Paribas: Emma Raducanu crashed out to the relatively unknown Aliaksandra Sasnovich from Belarus in straight sets. The British overnight sensation then – without making any excuses, or for that matter offering any explanation – immediately withdrew from the Kremlin Cup in Moscow, where she was scheduled to appear later this month. If one is beaten by a Belarusian, then the incentive to have to confront a whole line-up of Iron Curtain protéges on their home turf would not hold much allure.

Leylah Fernandez, meanwhile, got one round and a set further before she too was taken out by American Shelby Rogers, a comparatively tame opponent when one considers the Canadian had to demolish the likes of three-time Major champion Naomi Osaka to reach the US Open final.

Fernandez, it seems, has no plans to play any further tournaments beyond the Billy Jean King Cup. From their now evidently compromised perspective, this is the appropriate time to repeat late South African No 1 Abe Segal’s advice: “It’s too soon to panic.”

Yes, girls, it is, you now only have Badosa and Ons Jabeur to add to your danger list.