INDIAN WELLS, California (AP) — Defending champion Roger Federer has rallied for a 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-5 victory over Swiss compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka to reach the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open.
Wawrinka's consecutive forehand errors in the gathering dusk of an unusually hot day in the California desert Wednesday closed out his 10th consecutive loss to Federer on hard courts.
Federer, a four-time champion at Indian Wells, is aiming for his first ATP Tour title since last August. The world's second-ranked player improved to 13-1 against the 18th-seeded Wawrinka, who was broken twice in the final set played in front of tennis great Rod Laver.
Federer next plays either Rafael Nadal or Latvian qualifier Ernests Gulbis.
Top-ranked Novak Djokovic and No. 2 Maria Sharapova are playing night matches.