Top seed Roger Federer will go for his sixth Indian Wells title against No 6 seed Juan Martin del Potro in Sunday's ATP Indian Wells Masters final in California.
Here is a rundown on what to watch for when the two men take to the court in a match that is due to start around 1am UAE time on Monday morning.
Route to final
Federer suffered a scare in Saturday's semi-final as he was a set and a break down to world No 49 Coric before fighting back to his 17th successive game in 2018.
Del Potro had a rather easier time in beating Milos Raonic in straight sets, but he had to come from a set down in both his last-16 match with Leonardo Mayer, and quarter-final with Philipp Kohlschreiber.
Roger Federer
1st round bye
2nd round Federico Delbonis 6-3, 7-6
3rd round Filip Krajinovic 6-2, 6-1
4th round Jeremy Chardy 7-5, 6-4
Quarter-final Chung Hyeon 7-5, 6-1
Semi-final Borna Coric 5-7, 6-4, 6-4
Juan Martin del Potro
1st round bye
2nd round Alex de Minuar 6-2, 6-1
3rd round David Ferrer 6-4, 7-6
4th round Leonardo Mayer 3-6, 7-6, 6-3
Quarter-finals Philipp Kohlschreiber 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
Semi-finals Milos Raonic 6-2, 6-3
Tournament history
Federer has won the Masters event five times in the past. Last year he beat Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 7-5 in the final, and he also prevailed in the 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2012 final, and was also runner-up in 2014 and 2015.
He has won all five of his titles with straight sets victories in the final so he will fancy his chances of a sixth crown if he takes the opening set against Del Potro.
This will be Del Potro's second appearance in the final. He lost to Rafael Nadal in three sets in the 2013 final, having beaten on his route Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic to get there.
His best other run at the event was in 2011 when he reached the last four before losing to Nadal.
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Read more
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From Dubai to Indian Wells, Daria Kasatkina faces Naomi Osaka in her second straight final
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Match-up
It is 18-6 to Federer in past match-ups between the pair, and Del Potro has only won one of their six clashes since October 2013.
Del Potro has been known to cause Federer problems in matches in the past, most famously in beating the 20-time major winner at the US Open final in 2009. Then last September he beat him in the US Open quarter-finals giving Federer his only loss at a major in 2017.
But Federer has since beaten him twice. In the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters and then in the Basel final, with both victories being in three sets with Federer coming from behind after losing the first set.
This will only be their second meeting at Indian Wells. They met in the quarter-finals in 2012, with Federer dominating that match as he won 6-3, 6-2.
Season so far
Roger Federer has yet to lose in 2018. He won the Australian Open to achieve his 20th grand slam title in January, and then claimed the Rotterdam title in February, going back to world No 1 in the process.
Del Potro, the world No 8, is bidding for his second successive tournament win, having won in Acapulco, Mexico, in March, beating three fellow top 10 players in his run to the title.
He lost in the Auckland final in January to Roberto Bautista Agut and went only as far as the third round at the Australian Open before losing to Tomas Berdych.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Rock in a Hard Place: Music and Mayhem in the Middle East
Orlando Crowcroft
Zed Books
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
About Seez
Company name/date started: Seez, set up in September 2015 and the app was released in August 2017
Founder/CEO name(s): Tarek Kabrit, co-founder and chief executive, and Andrew Kabrit, co-founder and chief operating officer
Based in: Dubai, with operations also in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon
Sector: Search engine for car buying, selling and leasing
Size: (employees/revenue): 11; undisclosed
Stage of funding: $1.8 million in seed funding; followed by another $1.5m bridge round - in the process of closing Series A
Investors: Wamda Capital, B&Y and Phoenician Funds
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Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
The biog
Favourite hobby: I love to sing but I don’t get to sing as much nowadays sadly.
Favourite book: Anything by Sidney Sheldon.
Favourite movie: The Exorcist 2. It is a big thing in our family to sit around together and watch horror movies, I love watching them.
Favourite holiday destination: The favourite place I have been to is Florence, it is a beautiful city. My dream though has always been to visit Cyprus, I really want to go there.
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
The biog
Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi
Age: 23
How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them
Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need
Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman
Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs
Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
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