THE CANADIAN PRESS
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Canadian Daniel Nestor and partner Max Mirnyi of Belarus failed in their bid for the final of the BNP Parisbas Open on Friday as they went down to a 6-4, 6-2 defeat at the hands of Americans John Isner and Sam Querrey.
Nestor, 39, from Toronto, and Mirnyi were playing for a spot in the title match against Rafael Nadal and Marc Lopez, who beat them here for the 2010 title.
Nestor has won the Indian Wells event four times, in 1997, 2002, 2005 and 2006. But his team was comprehensively dominated by the big-hitting American pair. Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic beat Isner and Querrey at the Indian Wells semis two years ago.
Isner and Querrey collected the first set on the first of three set points, then got on top to break Mirnyi for a 3-1 lead in the second. Nestor scratched back to 2-4 on a hold, but he and Mirnyi were unable to continue the fight back.
Nestor’s team lost in 61 minutes, but they did hold their aggressive opponents to a zero ace count.
The Americans saved all four break points they faced while breaking Nestor and Mirnyi three times.