Ljubicic grabs first Indian Wells title at 31

Indian Wells, Mar 22: Thrashing seventh-seeded American Andy Roddick 7-6, 7-6 in the men's finals here on Sunday, Mar 21, Croat Ivan Ljubicic lifted his first prestigious Masters 1000 title.

Seeded 20th, the 31-year-old Croat defeated top-seeded players like Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic on his way to the finals, to become the oldest first-time winner of a Masters Series event.

"It's a really fantastic feeling to finally have it," said Ljubicic.

Ljubici had lost his three previous Masters Series finals but in the 2010 ATP tournament he proved his might by upsetting Roddick, who has been on a campaign since 2001 to become the first American man to emerge victorious at Indian Wells.

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