rogerfederer.com - Roger loses third round match

Roger loses third round match

Roger suffered a 5-7, 7-5, 7-6(4) defeat against Marcos Baghdatis at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.

"It was one of those matches that just happens," Roger said. "I didn't play terrible. It just happens. I was doing many things right, but then the next thing you know, I'm stuck in a third set and you never know what's going to happen. It was a decent match but maybe wrong choices at the wrong time for me."

Roger certainly had his chances with a total of three match points, two of which came at 5-4 of the second set, when he took a 15-40 lead on Baghdatis' serve but fired first a forehand and then a backhand long and Baghdatis went on to hold serve and even the set. Baghdatis broke our champ in the next game and then held serve to take the set. The last time Roger surrendered a match after holding at least one match point was in the 2006 Rome final, against Rafael Nadal.

Roger took a 3-1 lead in the third set with a break in the fourth game, but Baghdatis - whose head-to-head record against Federer includes a loss in the 2006 Australian Open final - broke back in the seventh game, setting up the break with a blistering cross-court winner before Roger netted a forehand.

The next tournament on Roger's schedule is the Sony Ericsson which starts on March 22nd in Miami.