As Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal limbered up for a renewal of their epic rivalry, Kei Nishikori led the way into the quarter-finals of the ATP Indian Wells Masters on Wednesday.

Japan&#39;s fourth-seeded Nishikori erased a 4-1 second-set deficit to put away American Donald Young 6-2, 6-4.

Nishikori has yet to drop a set, but his steady progress to the quarter-finals has been overshadowed by the hoopla surrounding the talent-laden bottom quarter of the draw, where Federer, Nadal and world number two Novak Djokovic, who own 44 Grand Slam titles among them, are grouped.

Djokovic, whose five Indian Wells titles include the last three, was also up Wednesday, seeking a quarter-final berth against Nick Kyrgios, the 21-year-old Australian who stunned him earlier this month in Acapulco.

It was another blow for Djokovic, who was left reeling by a second-round Australian Open exit as Federer and Nadal advanced to a title showdown won by the Swiss great in five sets.

Federer said that his 18th Grand Slam singles title is &quot;in the top five&quot; of his career wins, in part because of the uncertainty he faced in 2017 after a year disrupted by a knee injury that required surgery.

Nadal, too, battled injury in 2016, hence their relatively lowly rankings that made their round of 16 clash at Indian Wells possible.

It will be the first time since their first meeting in 2004 that the two superstars have met before the quarter-finals of a tournament, but Federer said that didn&#39;t dim his anticipation of a 36th encounter with Nadal.

&quot;That&#39;s why I came here, play against guys like Rafa,&quot; he said. &quot;Now we have it. Better be excited now. Otherwise I came for the wrong reasons.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

Japan's fourth-seeded Nishikori erased a 4-1 second-set deficit to put away American Donald Young 6-2, 6-4

As Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal limbered up for a renewal of their epic rivalry, Kei Nishikori led the way into the quarter-finals of the ATP Indian Wells Masters on Wednesday. Japan's fourth-seeded Nishikori erased a 4-1 second-set deficit to put away American Donald Young 6-2, 6-4. Nishikori has yet to drop a set, but his steady progress to the quarter-finals has been overshadowed by the hoopla surrounding the talent-laden bottom quarter of the draw, where Federer, Nadal and world number two Novak Djokovic, who own 44 Grand Slam titles among them, are grouped. Djokovic, whose five Indian Wells titles include the last three, was also up Wednesday, seeking a quarter-final berth against Nick Kyrgios, the 21-year-old Australian who stunned him earlier this month in Acapulco. It was another blow for Djokovic, who was left reeling by a second-round Australian Open exit as Federer and Nadal advanced to a title showdown won by the Swiss great in five sets. Federer said that his 18th Grand Slam singles title is "in the top five" of his career wins, in part because of the uncertainty he faced in 2017 after a year disrupted by a knee injury that required surgery. Nadal, too, battled injury in 2016, hence their relatively lowly rankings that made their round of 16 clash at Indian Wells possible. It will be the first time since their first meeting in 2004 that the two superstars have met before the quarter-finals of a tournament, but Federer said that didn't dim his anticipation of a 36th encounter with Nadal. "That's why I came here, play against guys like Rafa," he said. "Now we have it. Better be excited now. Otherwise I came for the wrong reasons." (AFP)

With Nadal, Federer, Djokovic in wings, Nishikori advances into Indian Wells quarter-finals

Stan Wawrinka survived a thriller against Mikhail Youzhny in the second round of the Rogers Cup on Tuesday, fighting back in both sets to prevail 7-6(3) 7-6(8). 
 
The Swiss second seed trailed 5-4 in the first set and had to break Youzhny&#39;s serve to force a tiebreak. He then fell behind 3-0 in the second before launching a comeback that saw him fight through set point in a heated tiebreak and ultimately pull through to close out the match. 
 
Wawrinka, who had failed to advance past the second round in his last two tournaments, now has a third-round match up with American Donald Young. 
 
Earlier in the day, Gael Monfils, fresh off his tournament win in Washington, cruised by Portugal&#39;s Joao Sousa 6-3 6-3 to ease into the second round. 
 
The 10th seeded Frenchman won 50 percent of his return points against Sousa and hammered down eight aces to extend his win streak to six matches. &ldquo;I think I&#39;ve put in good work with my team. What I try to do is keep working with them and then see the results later,&rdquo; said Monfils, two days after his first tournament win in two-and-a-half years. 
 
&ldquo;I like to think when I&#39;m in my top game and with consistency, I can beat a lot of players at the top.&rdquo; 
 
Czech fifth seed Tomas Berdych, playing his first match since losing in the Wimbledon semi-final to eventual champion Andy Murray, secured his spot in the third round with a 4-6 6-1 6-4 win over Croatia&#39;s Borna Coric. 
 
Top seed Djokovic, the only member of the &#39;Big Four&#39; in Toronto, will play his first singles match since Wimbledon when he takes on Luxembourg&rsquo;s Gilles Muller today. 
 
(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

Wawrinka, who had failed to advance past the second round in his last two tournaments, now has a third-round match up with Donald Young

Stan Wawrinka survived a thriller against Mikhail Youzhny in the second round of the Rogers Cup on Tuesday, fighting back in both sets to prevail 7-6(3) 7-6(8). The Swiss second seed trailed 5-4 in the first set and had to break Youzhny's serve to force a tiebreak. He then fell behind 3-0 in the second before launching a comeback that saw him fight through set point in a heated tiebreak and ultimately pull through to close out the match. Wawrinka, who had failed to advance past the second round in his last two tournaments, now has a third-round match up with American Donald Young. Earlier in the day, Gael Monfils, fresh off his tournament win in Washington, cruised by Portugal's Joao Sousa 6-3 6-3 to ease into the second round. The 10th seeded Frenchman won 50 percent of his return points against Sousa and hammered down eight aces to extend his win streak to six matches. “I think I've put in good work with my team. What I try to do is keep working with them and then see the results later,” said Monfils, two days after his first tournament win in two-and-a-half years. “I like to think when I'm in my top game and with consistency, I can beat a lot of players at the top.” Czech fifth seed Tomas Berdych, playing his first match since losing in the Wimbledon semi-final to eventual champion Andy Murray, secured his spot in the third round with a 4-6 6-1 6-4 win over Croatia's Borna Coric. Top seed Djokovic, the only member of the 'Big Four' in Toronto, will play his first singles match since Wimbledon when he takes on Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller today. (Reuters)

Stan Wawrinka battles past Mikhail Youzhny in Rogers Cup

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With Nadal, Federer, Djokovic in wings, Nishikori advances into Indian Wells quarter-finals

Stan Wawrinka battles past Mikhail Youzhny in Rogers Cup