INDIAN WELLS: Top-ranked Novak Djokovic and No. 3 Roger Federer each needed three sets to reach the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open on Wednesday, while No. 1 Victoria Azarenka improved to 21-0 on the season with a straight-set win on the women’s side.
Second-ranked Rafael Nadal beat 21st-seeded Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine 6-3, 6-2 to set up a quarterfinal against David Nalbandian, who upset sixth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 3-6, 7-5, 6-3.
Djokovic, the two-time defending champion, beat Pablo Andujar 6-0, 6-7 (5), 6-2, racing through the first set in 27 minutes before Andujar picked up his game. The Spaniard, who had lost his previous meeting against Djokovic in straight sets, held at love to even the second set 1-1, drawing encouraging cheers from the crowd at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
Federer got by lefty Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a fourth-round match that finished under the lights and completed a parade of the world’s highest-ranked players. It was Federer’s 12th straight win, making him 19-2 on the year. It was also his 74th consecutive victory against a player outside the top 20, and he has won 36 of 38 matches since the U.S. Open.
Federer used a big serve to go up 5-4 in the third set then won on his second match point when Bellucci committed his second straight forehand error.
Azarenka routed fifth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska 6-0, 6-2 in just over an hour to tie Serena Williams’ 2003 record of 21-0 to start a season. The Belarusian has already won three titles this year, and now has her sights on Martina Hingis’ record 37-0 start to the 1997 season.
“I was executing my shots brilliantly,” said Azarenka, who next plays 18th-seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany, a 6-4, 6-2 upset winner over No. 8 Li Na. Radwanska won two of the final three games in the quarterfinal match to avoid a shutout in falling to 1-5 in her career against a No. 1-ranked player.
All four of Radwanska’s losses this year have been to Azarenka, including a straight-set defeat last month in Doha when Azarenka injured her ankle.
In women’s doubles, Sania Mirza and her Russian partner Elena Vesnina entered into the semifinals of the WTA Indian Wells Premier event after registering a straight-set victory over the Argentine pair of Gisela Dulko and Paola Suarez here.
The second seeds Indo-Russian pair took just over an hour to get the better of Argentina wild card entrants 6-2 6-3.
Sania and Vesnina proved to be too good for their opponents as they managed to break the Argentines five times in the match.
Leander Paes and his Czech partner Radek Stepanek’s campaign in the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament came to an end after they lost 6-3 7-6(5) to Spain’s Rafael Nadal and Marc Lopez here.
The Spanish pair took one hour and 43 minutes to knock out the Australian Open men’s doubles winners.
Paes and Stepanek were poor on serve as they won just six points from their second serve, giving away 10 break points to the unseeded duo. (Agencies)