Novak Djokovic vs. Andy Murray: Score and Reaction from 2015 Indian Wells

Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray met for the 25th time in their careers at the semifinals of the 2015 BNP Paribas Open. For the 17th time, Djokovic came out on top—and this time in dominating fashion, with a 6-2, 6-3 victory. 

This also marks the fourth consecutive straight-sets win for Djokovic at Indian Wells, not including his walkover win against Bernard Tomic in the quarterfinal. He will await the winner of Milos Raonic vs. Roger Federer in the other semifinal. 

It was evident from the beginning that Djokovic was on his game and forced Murray to keep up, with Ben Rothenberg of The New York Times pointing out that the No. 1 seed took 12 consecutive games:

The issues would continue for Murray throughout the match, as BBC Tennis noted he would go on a run of 3-19 in 22 games:

Part of the separation came with help from Murray, who won only eight of 22 possible service points in the first set. Sports Illustrated's Tennis team pointed out that Djokovic was controlling the pace throughout the opening set:

Of course, anyone who has followed the rivalry between Djokovic and Murray knew to expect this kind of match. Even though Murray has looked much better so far this season than he did in the second half of 2014, reaching the Australian Open final and quarterfinal of two other events, Djokovic remains a huge obstacle. 

Prior to Saturday's match, Sky Sports News tweeted out how lopsided things have been recently for Djokovic against Murray after the two seemed to be on equal footing when this rivalry first started:

Murray, despite his early success in 2015, still feels like a star in transition. He's 27 years old, reaching that point where you get "old" by tennis standards, and needs wins over players like Djokovic and Federer to avoid permanently falling into that second-tier group of players. 

That's what Murray's coach, Amelie Mauresmo, told Russell Fuller of BBC Sports after the English star defeated Feliciano Lopez in the quarterfinal:

"

If you want to win the Grand Slams, you also have to beat the top players outside of the Grand Slams. It's what I'm looking forward to, and what he's also more aware of now. I think if he can keep his level throughout the whole year, it's more likely that he may be able to peak even more at the Grand Slams.

"

With the French Open still two months away, Murray has time to find his peak before the year's second major event. This loss was a step back for the 2013 Wimbledon champion, who can take a page out of Rafael Nadal's playbook, per Howard Bryant of ESPN:

Murray had no answer for Djokovic, even when it appeared he was going to win a point. So much of the match was about Murray being unable to figure out how to put Djoker away once they got into a rally, as evidenced by this highlight from Tennis TV:

Maybe there is no answer other than the other guy is better. Djokovic is the best player in the world and has been for years. He's been a thorn in Murray's side for a long time now, and that trend continued Saturday. 

Djokovic also seems to like playing at Indian Wells, as he will be going for his second straight title in this event Sunday. It would be his second championship in 2015 following the Australian Open in January. 

Given the way Djokovic is playing right now, it won't matter whether Federer or Raonic is on the other side of the court. The only person capable of beating the 27-year-old right now is himself, which is dangerous for the tennis world.