Djokovic, Nadal and Federer advance at Indian Wells
NOVAK Djokovic launched his bid for a sixth ATP Indian Wells Masters crown with a two-set triumph over Kyle Edmund as the stars shone Sunday in the California desert.
The 46th-ranked Edmund served for the second set at 5-3, but world number two Djokovic broke him en route to a 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) triumph.
His reward is a tough thirdround clash with former US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro, a 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 winner over fellow Argentine Federico del Bonis.
“I think I played very well in the first set,” Djokovic said. “Second set was obviously up and down. But credit to Kyle for playing some really aggressive tennis.”
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal also reached the third round, Federer flying through with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over France’s Stephane Robert in just 51 minutes.
Nadal opened his account with a steady 6-3, 6-2 victory over Argentina’s Guido Pella.
The three stars are packed together in a remarkable bottom quarter of the draw.
But Djokovic said he can’t afford to think about a possible quarterfinal clash with either of his longtime rivals with del Potro coming up.
While Djokovic has won 12 of their 16 career meetings, the Argentine handed him a crushing two-tiebreak defeat in the first round of the Rio Olympics – a defeat Djokovic avenged in Acapulco this month.
“Big guy, big serve, big forehand,” Djokovic said of del Potro. “Definitely not the draw that you like early in the tournament and that you wish for, but it is what it is,” added Djokovic.
Ninth-seeded Federer, resurgent after a 2016 season marred by injury, downed Nadal in an epic Australian Open final to secure his 18th Grand Slam title.
He hit a speed bump in Dubai this month, failing to convert three match points in a thirdround loss to Evgeny Donskoy – but he was firing on all cylinders against the 81st-ranked Robert.
“Very happy,” said Federer. “Knee is a thing of the past, which is great. I don’t even have to think or talk about it.”
Nadal was pleased with a “solid” opening effort against Pella, made trickier by the oven-like mid-day temperatures and the fact that Pella, like Nadal, is a lefthander.
“I didn’t try to do amazing things. I tried to play solid,” the fifth-seeded Spaniard said. “For moments I played well. For moments I played a little bit less well. Important thing, I won, and I won in straight sets.”
Nadal knows he’ll have to turn up the intensity if he wants to end a hard court title drought stretching back to 2014.
The bottom half of the draw also features fourth-seeded Kei Nishikori of Japan, who eased past Britain’s Daniel Evans 6-3, 6-4 on Sunday. But sixth-seeded Marin Cilic, who beat Nishikori in the 2014 US Open final, was an early casualty, beaten 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 by 19-year-old American Taylor Fritz.
The jam-packed half of the draw is a contrast to the wideopen top half, which lost a lot of its lustre on Saturday when world number one Andy Murray was stunned by 129thranked Canadian qualifierVasek Pospisil.