Defending champion&nbsp;Rafael Nadal&nbsp;maintained his momentum in Canada and cruised to a 6-3, 6-4 win over Argentinean Guido Pella to advance to the Rogers Cup quarter-finals on Thursday.

Nadal, who won this event for the fourth time last year, battled through the wind and broke Pella's service four times in the triumph. Playing in his first action since losing to Roger Federer at Wimbledon last month, the 33-year-old Spaniard enjoyed an easier outing than his opening match against England’s Daniel Evans on Wednesday when he rallied from a tiebreak deficit.

Nadal will now face seventh seed Fabio Fognini after the Italian beat France's Adrian Mannarino 6-2, 7-5.

"He's playing great," Nadal said of Fognini after pulling ahead of Federer with his 379th ATP Masters 1000 win.

"I saw him a little bit yesterday. He played a great match. He's having a great season, one of the best of his career, if not the best.

“We are in quarterfinals of a Masters 1000. All opponents are tough. For me, tomorrow is an opportunity to go on court against one of the best players, try to play a good match. So let's see if I am able to.”

In earlier action, Austrian second seed Dominic Thiem beat Croatian Marin Cilic 7-6(7), 6-4 to reach the Rogers Cup quarter-finals.

Thiem, who before this week had never won a match in five attempts in Canada, had his hands full against 14th-seeded Cilic but did well to save all nine break points he faced while relying on a steady stream of groundstroke winners.

The Austrian, who arrived in Montreal fresh off a claycourt title in Kitzbuhel where he was the top seed, said his triumph on home soil helped ease the transition to hardcourt tennis.

"The last three, four years I didn't play worse than this year, but I just came with low confidence and I came little bit sad to Canada because I didn't play good in my own home tournament," said Thiem.

"This year everything is different. I won this title at home. I made one of my biggest dreams come true. Of course, I'm so confident coming here. That's the difference. That's also made the transition pretty easy."

Up next for Thiem will be Russian eighth seed Daniil Medvedev, a 6-3, 6-3 winner over Chile's Cristian Garin.

In other action, sixth-seeded Russian Karen Khachanov rallied to beat 19-year-old Canadian birthday boy Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-7(7), 7-5, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals.

Third seed Alexander Zverev of Germany will face Khachanov in the quarters after a 7-5, 5-7, 7-6(5) win over Georgia's Nikoloz Basilashvili.

Spain’s Roberto Bautista advanced past Frenchman Richard Gasquet 7-5, 7-5 while France’s Gael Monfils defeated Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 6-0.

Defending champion Rafael Nadal maintained his momentum in Canada and cruised to a 6-3, 6-4 win over Argentinean Guido Pella to advance to the Rogers Cup quarter-finals on Thursday.

Defending champion Rafael Nadal maintained his momentum in Canada and cruised to a 6-3, 6-4 win over Argentinean Guido Pella to advance to the Rogers Cup quarter-finals on Thursday. Nadal, who won this event for the fourth time last year, battled through the wind and broke Pella's service four times in the triumph. Playing in his first action since losing to Roger Federer at Wimbledon last month, the 33-year-old Spaniard enjoyed an easier outing than his opening match against England’s Daniel Evans on Wednesday when he rallied from a tiebreak deficit. Nadal will now face seventh seed Fabio Fognini after the Italian beat France's Adrian Mannarino 6-2, 7-5. "He's playing great," Nadal said of Fognini after pulling ahead of Federer with his 379th ATP Masters 1000 win. "I saw him a little bit yesterday. He played a great match. He's having a great season, one of the best of his career, if not the best. “We are in quarterfinals of a Masters 1000. All opponents are tough. For me, tomorrow is an opportunity to go on court against one of the best players, try to play a good match. So let's see if I am able to.” In earlier action, Austrian second seed Dominic Thiem beat Croatian Marin Cilic 7-6(7), 6-4 to reach the Rogers Cup quarter-finals. Thiem, who before this week had never won a match in five attempts in Canada, had his hands full against 14th-seeded Cilic but did well to save all nine break points he faced while relying on a steady stream of groundstroke winners. The Austrian, who arrived in Montreal fresh off a claycourt title in Kitzbuhel where he was the top seed, said his triumph on home soil helped ease the transition to hardcourt tennis. "The last three, four years I didn't play worse than this year, but I just came with low confidence and I came little bit sad to Canada because I didn't play good in my own home tournament," said Thiem. "This year everything is different. I won this title at home. I made one of my biggest dreams come true. Of course, I'm so confident coming here. That's the difference. That's also made the transition pretty easy." Up next for Thiem will be Russian eighth seed Daniil Medvedev, a 6-3, 6-3 winner over Chile's Cristian Garin. In other action, sixth-seeded Russian Karen Khachanov rallied to beat 19-year-old Canadian birthday boy Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-7(7), 7-5, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals. Third seed Alexander Zverev of Germany will face Khachanov in the quarters after a 7-5, 5-7, 7-6(5) win over Georgia's Nikoloz Basilashvili. Spain’s Roberto Bautista advanced past Frenchman Richard Gasquet 7-5, 7-5 while France’s Gael Monfils defeated Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 6-0.

Rafael Nadal tames wind and Pella to cruise to Rogers Cup quarters

Argentine Guido Pella claimed his first ATP title when he beat Christian Garin 7-5 6-3 to win the Brasil Open in Sao Paulo on Sunday.

Pella, who had previously reached four ATP finals and come up short each time, made no mistake against the young Chilean and finished a superb week without dropping a set.

Ranked 48th in the world before his triumph, the 28-year-old will jump to a career best 34th place when the new rankings are published on Monday.

Pella stopped Garin from becoming the first Chilean since Fernando Gonzalez a decade ago to lift an ATP trophy and is the seventh player to claim their first ATP title this season.

The other first time winners are Alex de Minaur&nbsp;(Sydney),&nbsp;Tennys Sandgren&nbsp;(Auckland), Juan Ignacio Londero (Cordoba),&nbsp;Reilly Opelka&nbsp;(New York),&nbsp;Laslo Djere&nbsp;(Rio de Janeiro) and&nbsp;Radu Albot&nbsp;(Delray Beach).

Argentine Guido Pella claimed his first ATP title when he beat Christian Garin 7-5 6-3 to win the Brasil Open in Sao Paulo on Sunday. Pella, who had previously reached four ATP finals and come up short each time, made no mistake against the young Chilean and finished a superb week without dropping a set.

Argentine Guido Pella claimed his first ATP title when he beat Christian Garin 7-5 6-3 to win the Brasil Open in Sao Paulo on Sunday. Pella, who had previously reached four ATP finals and come up short each time, made no mistake against the young Chilean and finished a superb week without dropping a set. Ranked 48th in the world before his triumph, the 28-year-old will jump to a career best 34th place when the new rankings are published on Monday. Pella stopped Garin from becoming the first Chilean since Fernando Gonzalez a decade ago to lift an ATP trophy and is the seventh player to claim their first ATP title this season. The other first time winners are Alex de Minaur (Sydney), Tennys Sandgren (Auckland), Juan Ignacio Londero (Cordoba), Reilly Opelka (New York), Laslo Djere (Rio de Janeiro) and Radu Albot (Delray Beach).

Argentine Guido Pella wins first ATP title in Brazil

A &quot;solid&quot; effort saw three-time champion Rafael Nadal safely through to the third round of the ATP Indian Wells Masters on Sunday with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Guido Pella.

French Open champion Garbine Muguruza battled past tenacious teenager Kayla Day 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 on Sunday to reach the fourth round of the Indian Wells WTA hard court tournament.

The seventh seed from Spain next faces Ukrainian 10th seed Elina Svitolina, a 6-2, 6-1 winner over Australian Daria Gavrilova.

Launching his campaign after a first-round bye, Nadal was happy to forego the fireworks on a blazing hot Stadium Court and secure a workmanlike win in one hour and 21 minutes.

&quot;It was a solid match,&quot; Nadal said of a contest made trickier by facing another left-hander in heat that had the balls flying.

&quot;I didn&#39;t try to do amazing things. I tried to play solid. I tried to find the rhythm, and I think I did. For moments I played well. For moments I played a little bit less well. Important thing, I won, and I won in straight sets.&quot;&nbsp;

Pella seized the early initiative, breaking Nadal in the third game. But Nadal won six of the next seven games to pocket the set and go up a break to open the second.

Pella recouped the break in the second game of the second set, but Nadal regained the advantage with a break for 5-2 and calmly served it out.

He knows he&#39;ll have to turn up the intensity if he wants to end a hard court title drought stretching back to 2014.

He&#39;s drawn in the so-called &quot;quarter of death&quot; that also features second-seeded Novak Djokovic, the three-time defending champion and five-time overall Indian Wells winner, along with four-time champion Roger Federer.

Federer cemented his return from a 2016 disrupted by injury with a triumph over Nadal in the Australian Open final in January, the Swiss star&#39;s 18th Grand Slam title.

Djokovic, rocked by a second-round exit at the Australian Open, was to launch his bid for a fourth straight Indian Wells title against Britain&#39;s Kyle Edmund on Sunday, while Federer took on France&#39;s Stephane Robert in the marquee match of the night session.

Only one of the star trio can make it to the semi-finals, where fourth-seeded Kei Nishikori or sixth-seeded Marin Cilic could await.

Japan&#39;s Nishikori, a two-time finalist this year still looking for a first title of the season, eased past Britain&#39;s Daniel Evans 6-3, 6-4.

Nishikori had reason to know how dangerous the Briton could be. Evans shocked him four years ago in the first round of the US Open.

&quot;I know he can play great tennis and when he was playing aggressively, he was very tough to play,&quot; Nishikori said. &quot;But I think I managed really well from the first point until the end. I think it was a good start.&quot;

&#39;That&#39;s sport&#39;

The jam-packed half of the draw is a contrast to the wide-open top half, which lost a lot of its lustre on Saturday when world number one Andy Murray was stunned by 129th-ranked Canadian qualifier Vasek Pospisil.

&quot;That&#39;s sport, no?&quot; Nadal said. &quot;Yesterday probably Andy didn&#39;t play his best match and Vasek served very well. So then you go to a tiebreak and anything can happen.&quot;

While Murray arrived in Indian Wells off a victory in Dubai, Nadal noted that the venue has not been kind to the Briton in the past and he expected Murray to be back at full strength for the fast-approaching Miami Masters.

&quot;Sometimes you don&#39;t feel comfortable in one event, and it&#39;s difficult to overcome that,&quot; Nadal said, recalling his string of disappointments in Cincinnati before he managed a victory there. &quot;When you have bad feelings in one event, sometimes it&#39;s difficult to overcome that.&quot;

(AFP)

'It was a solid match,' Nadal said of his 6-3, 6-2 victory over Guido Pella

A "solid" effort saw three-time champion Rafael Nadal safely through to the third round of the ATP Indian Wells Masters on Sunday with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Guido Pella. French Open champion Garbine Muguruza battled past tenacious teenager Kayla Day 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 on Sunday to reach the fourth round of the Indian Wells WTA hard court tournament. The seventh seed from Spain next faces Ukrainian 10th seed Elina Svitolina, a 6-2, 6-1 winner over Australian Daria Gavrilova. Launching his campaign after a first-round bye, Nadal was happy to forego the fireworks on a blazing hot Stadium Court and secure a workmanlike win in one hour and 21 minutes. "It was a solid match," Nadal said of a contest made trickier by facing another left-hander in heat that had the balls flying. "I didn't try to do amazing things. I tried to play solid. I tried to find the rhythm, and I think I did. For moments I played well. For moments I played a little bit less well. Important thing, I won, and I won in straight sets." Pella seized the early initiative, breaking Nadal in the third game. But Nadal won six of the next seven games to pocket the set and go up a break to open the second. Pella recouped the break in the second game of the second set, but Nadal regained the advantage with a break for 5-2 and calmly served it out. He knows he'll have to turn up the intensity if he wants to end a hard court title drought stretching back to 2014. He's drawn in the so-called "quarter of death" that also features second-seeded Novak Djokovic, the three-time defending champion and five-time overall Indian Wells winner, along with four-time champion Roger Federer. Federer cemented his return from a 2016 disrupted by injury with a triumph over Nadal in the Australian Open final in January, the Swiss star's 18th Grand Slam title. Djokovic, rocked by a second-round exit at the Australian Open, was to launch his bid for a fourth straight Indian Wells title against Britain's Kyle Edmund on Sunday, while Federer took on France's Stephane Robert in the marquee match of the night session. Only one of the star trio can make it to the semi-finals, where fourth-seeded Kei Nishikori or sixth-seeded Marin Cilic could await. Japan's Nishikori, a two-time finalist this year still looking for a first title of the season, eased past Britain's Daniel Evans 6-3, 6-4. Nishikori had reason to know how dangerous the Briton could be. Evans shocked him four years ago in the first round of the US Open. "I know he can play great tennis and when he was playing aggressively, he was very tough to play," Nishikori said. "But I think I managed really well from the first point until the end. I think it was a good start." 'That's sport' The jam-packed half of the draw is a contrast to the wide-open top half, which lost a lot of its lustre on Saturday when world number one Andy Murray was stunned by 129th-ranked Canadian qualifier Vasek Pospisil. "That's sport, no?" Nadal said. "Yesterday probably Andy didn't play his best match and Vasek served very well. So then you go to a tiebreak and anything can happen." While Murray arrived in Indian Wells off a victory in Dubai, Nadal noted that the venue has not been kind to the Briton in the past and he expected Murray to be back at full strength for the fast-approaching Miami Masters. "Sometimes you don't feel comfortable in one event, and it's difficult to overcome that," Nadal said, recalling his string of disappointments in Cincinnati before he managed a victory there. "When you have bad feelings in one event, sometimes it's difficult to overcome that." (AFP)

'Solid' Nadal powers ahead at Indian Wells

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Rafael Nadal tames wind and Pella to cruise to Rogers Cup quarters

Argentine Guido Pella wins first ATP title in Brazil

'Solid' Nadal powers ahead at Indian Wells