Nadal exacts revenge over Verdasco to reach Indian Wells fourth round
Spanish tennis maestro Rafael Nadal advanced to the fourth round of the Indian Wells Masters after defeating compatriot Fernando Verdasco in straight sets on Wednesday.
Nadal, a three-time winner at Indian Wells, saved five set points to claim a 6-0, 7-6 (11-9) win over Verdasco on the main stadium court, Sport24 reported.
With the win, the 14-time major champion avenged his first-round loss to Verdasco at this year's Australian Open.
Top seed and defending champion Novak Djokovic continued his dominance of Philipp Kohlschreiber after trouncing the German 7-5, 7-5 in the third round.
Meanwhile, world number one Serena Williams outclassed 70th ranked Kateryna Bondarenko 6-2, 6-2 to reach the women's singles quarter-finals of one of the biggest Masters events on the tennis calendar.