The world’s top two players have advanced to the quarter-finals of the ATP and WTA Miami hardcourt tournament on Tuesday with both Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal posting straight-sets victories.
World No.2 Nadal of Spain progressed with a 6-4 6-4 victory over Japanese 16th seed Kei Nishikori while World No.1 Serb Djokovic beat French 17th seed Richard Gasquet 7-5 6-3.
Nadal, a three-time Miami runner-up who has never lifted the trophy at the $US9.6 million event, will face the winner of a later match between French sixth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and German 19th seed Florian Mayer.
Top seed and defending champion Djokovic, winner of the past three grand slam singles crowns, booked a quarter-final matchup against the winner of a later match between Spanish fifth seed David Ferrer and Argentina’s 11th seed Juan Martin Del Potro.
On the women’s side, World No.2 Maria Sharapova of Russia advanced to the semi-finals with a 6-3 6-0 victory over Chinese eighth seed Li Na.
Sharapova will next face the winner of a later match between US 10th seed Serena Williams and Denmark’s fourth-seeded Caroline Wozniacki.
Nadal fired eight aces and won 65 per cent of first-serve points while saving six of the eight break points he faced to advance in two hours and 11 minutes, improving to 16-3 on the season.
“The beginning was very tough,” Nadal said. “I started playing more aggressively. At the end of the first set, I felt that I started to win my serves easier than him. I believe that I had more the control of the game.
“In the second set I started well, 3-0. Just 5-3, I didn’t play my best game there and he broke me. Happy to have the break back later and finally win the match.”
Serbian ninth seed Janko Tipsarevic beat Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 and US eighth seed Mardy Fish outlasted Spanish 12th seed Nicolas Almagro 6-3 6-7 (2-7) 6-3 in other fourth-round matches.
Tipsarevic will next face the winner of a later match between British fourth seed Andy Murray and French 13th seed Gilles Simon. Next for Fish will be compatriot and conqueror of Roger Federer Andy Roddick or Argentina’s Juan Monaco.
