Novak Djokovic extended his winning streak to 15 matches with a 6-0, 6-1 victory over fellow Serb Viktor Troicki in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open on Wednesday.
Djokovic, ranked third in the world, has lost just six games in his first three matches at Indian Wells, where he won the 2008 title. Djokovic’s perfect match record this year includes winning titles at the Australian Open and Dubai, where he beat Roger Federer in the final.
Troicki, the 16th seed, hadn’t lost a set here until he ran into Djokovic on a day when temperatures in the desert soared to near 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius).
Troicki came into the match with a 14-5 record, but Djokovic dominated from the beginning in winning for the eighth straight time against him. Djokovic’s last loss came in November against Federer in the ATP World Tour finals in London.
Djokovic and Troicki teamed up later for a doubles match.
Eighth-seeded Andy Roddick fought his temper and No. 18 Richard Gasquet of France, losing 6—3, 7—6 (5). It was Gasquet’s second win over a top-10 player this week, having taken out No. 10 Jurgen Melzer in the third round.
The American argued with the umpire when he trailed 3-1 in the second set. He rallied to lead 6—5 before a backhand error allowed Gasquet to force the tiebreaker.
Roddick fell behind 5-2 in the tiebreaker, tossing his racket when Gasquet hit a winner into the corner off his drop shot. Roddick rallied again, hitting a forehand winner on the run to get to 5-5. Gasquet got to match point, with Roddick’s first serve just missing. The Frenchman hit a backwinner off his second serve to close out the match.
Juan Martin del Potro beat his third seeded player, this time taking out No. 32 Philipp Kohlschreiber 7-6 (3), 7-6 (7).
Del Potro, from Argentina, improved his match record to 17-4 this year as he rebounds from an injury-marred 2010. He has surged from No. 484 to 90th in the world rankings in a three-week span, winning a title at Delray Beach, Fla., and reaching the semifinals in two other tournaments.
“I am playing better than two months ago. I know it’s a long road, but I’m still improving my serve, my forehand,” he said. “It’s very tough to play every day against these kind of players, and I need time to feel 100 percent again.”
Now, Del Potro is into the quarterfinals, where he will play 25th-seeded Tommy Robredo of Spain. Robredo beat 21st-seeded American Sam Querrey 6-1, 6-3.
Earlier in the tournament, Del Potro beat defending champion and No. 14 seed Ivan Ljubicic and No. 20 Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine.
The world’s top two players will be in action later Wednesday when No. 1 Rafael Nadal plays qualifier Somdev Devvarman, the first Indian to reach the fourth round.
No. 2 Roger Federer, a three—time champion at Indian Wells, plays wild card Ryan Harrison. Federer is 16-2 this year, while the 18-year-old American tries to beat a top-10 player for the first time, having lost two other meetings.
Robredo was hobbled by a leg problem at 2-2 in the second set in his match against Querrey. He first got treatment on his leg two weeks ago.
“I felt something there and then it was very tough for me to play,” he said. “Luckily, I could win. I have one day to recover and hopefully I can go through.”
Against Kohlschreiber, Del Potro called for a trainer in the middle of the first set.
Del Potro rallied after trailing 6-1 in the second-set tiebreak, and won with an ace on his third match point.
On the men’s side, No. 7 Tomas Berdych lost in three sets to Stanislas Wawrinka, and No. 23 Albert Montanes fell to Ivo Karlovic.
No. 15 Marion Bartoli, the highest seeded woman in action Wednesday, ended Ana Ivanovic’s run with a 6-4, 7-6 (4) quarterfinal victory. Ivanovic hadn’t dropped a set until her loss.
Bartoli advanced on Tuesday when Kim Clijsters withdrew from their match because of a shoulder injury. The Frenchwoman wasn’t feeling well herself on Wednesday, overcoming a stomach virus that kept her from eating breakfast before the match.
