Federer, Murray enter Indian Wells quarters

Updated on: 19 March,2009 08:14 AM IST |
AFP |

Federer, Murray enter Indian Wells quarters, set up mouth-watering potential semi-final

Federer, Murray enter Indian Wells quarters, set up mouth-watering potential semi-final

Roger Federer and Andy Murray edged closer to a semi-final clash at the Indian Wells tournament yesterday, each booking his quarter-final berth.

fed up! Roger Federer serves to Fernando Gonzalez during their pre-quarter-final of the Indian Wells Open yesterday. Federer won 6-3, 5-7, 6-2. pic/AP

World No 2 Federer, playing his first tournament since falling in a five-set thriller to Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final, got past Chilean Fernando Gonzalez 6-3, 5-7, 6-2.

Fourth-seed Murray had an easier than expected time, making the quarters as fourth-round opponent Tommy Robredo retired with an injured right wrist while Murray led 6-2, 3-0.

Federer stretched his record over Gonzalez to 12-1, and lined up a quarter-final clash against Spain's Fernando Verdasco, who beat unseeded German Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.

Murray next faces Croatian veteran Ivan Ljubicic, who defeated Russian Igor Andreev 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-4) in a match lasting more than three hours.

Meanwhile, defending champion Novak Djokovic, seeded third, made it into the quarters with a hard-fought 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (8-6) victory over Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka.

Among the women, Fourth-seeded Russian Vera Zvonareva entered the semi-finals with a 6-4, 6-2 win over ninth-seeded Caroline Wozniacki.

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