Djokovic, Halep, Osaka, Nishikori, Cilic crash out of Indian Wells

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Novak Djokovic: ousted by Philipp Kohlschreiber in Indian Wells

Top seeds Novak Djokovic, Naomi Osaka and Simona Halep tumbled out of Indian Wells Masters tournament Tuesday night, while veterans, Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Venus Williams progressed.

Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber stunned Djokovic, the Australian Open champion 6-4, 6-4 on Tuesday, claiming his first career win over a world No. 1 player to reach the fourth round of the ATP Indian Wells Masters.

Swiss star Belinda Bencic sent World number one Naomi Osaka packing, too.

Bencic, ranked 23rd in the world, defeated Osaka 6-3, 6-1 to reach the quarter-finals of the prestigious WTA premier mandatory event, where Osaka won her first tour title last year.

Simona Halep World number two and a former champion fell to Czech teenager Marketa Vondrousova 6-2, 3-6, 6-2.

Naomi Osaka: tumbles out of Indian Wellls too

Halep, who received treatment for blisters on her foot during the match, hit just six winners and piled up 36 unforced errors.

“I was running too much and too defensive,” she said. “But it’s everything I could do today.”

Her defeat means Osaka will retain her number one ranking, even though she couldn’t pull off her first title defence.

Tuesday’s loss was Djokovic’s first since he lifted a record seventh title in Melbourne, taking his tally of Grand Slam victories to 15.

He had won eight of nine prior meetings with Kohlschreiber, but could find no answer to the 39th-ranked veteran, who had come up empty in 11 prior attempts to beat a top-ranked rival.

“It’s a very special moment,” Kohlschreiber said. “Of course, playing the top guys is always a big pleasure, but most of the time they beat you.”

In a match that resumed after rain stopped play just one game in on Monday night, Kohlschreiber said the warmer daytime conditions suited him better, and Djokovic agreed.

“I liked my chances more at night against Kohlschreiber,” Djokovic said. “Completely different conditions today: Ball bounces much higher.

“Obviously he uses his spin very well. I wasn’t playing well. One of those days,” added Djokovic.

“I congratulate him for playing tactically really well and getting me out of my comfort zone,” Djokovic said. “He deserved to win.”

The other top seeds that tumbled were Japan’s Kei Nishikori and Croatian Marin Cilic.

Nishikori, seeded sixth fell to Poland’s 67th-ranked Hubert Herkacz 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. Herkacz has now reached the last 16 of a Masters 1000 event for the first time.

He will play 19-year-old Canadian Denis Shapovalov, the 24th seed who beat 10th-seeded Croatian Marin Cilic 6-4, 6-2.

As the top seeds tumbled, former world number ones Venus Williams and Garbine Muguruza made it into the quarter-finals.

Spain’s Muguruza, a two-time Grand Slam champion now ranked 20th in the world, out-lasted seventh-ranked Kiki Bertens 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 while Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam winner, beat Germany’s Mona Barthel 6-4, 6-4.

Muguruza next faces 18-year-old Canadian Bianca Andreescu, who surprised China’s 18th-seeded Wang Qiang 7-5, 6-2.

Andreescu — who roared to her first WTA final as a qualifier in Auckland in January, beating two former world number ones on the way — is in the quarter-finals of one of the WTA’s elite premier mandatory events for the first time.

Andreescu improved her match record for 2019 to 25-3, including qualifying, as she became the youngest player to make the last eight at Indian Wells since a 17-year-old Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova reached the semis in 2009.

Williams will fight for a semi-final berth against eighth-seeded Angelique Kerber, who beat ninth-seeded Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.

In the men’s field, veteran Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal progressed. Nadal swept past Argentine Diego Schwartzman 6-3, 6-1 to reach the last 16.

Nadal took his record against the world No. 26 to 7-0 in emphatic style, never facing a break point in a match lasting an hour and 16 minutes.

Nadal, a three-time winner of the Indian Wells title, next faces Serbian qualifier Filip Krajinovic, who ousted 14th-seeded Russian Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-2.

Fourth-seeded Roger Federer eased through with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over friend and fellow Swiss Stan Wawrinka.

Federer took his record to 22-3 over Wawrinka, a former world number three who is climbing back up the rankings in the wake of double knee surgery.

“I felt good from the beginning,” said Federer, who is coming off his 100th career title at Dubai last month. “For me, the plan worked. I was able to mix up my game, cover my serve, be dangerous on the return — maybe take some rhythm away from Stan.

“You can’t always make it work. Tonight it worked well so I think it was a good match for me,” said Federer, who like Djokovic is a five-time winner at Indian Wells.

Federer next faces Britain’s Kyle Edmund, who beat Macedonian qualifier Radu Albot 6-3, 6-3.

Culled from: Source

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