Two world champions Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal won their respective matches to reach the quarter-finals of Indian Wells Masters Tennis.
Both were expected to be face-to-face in the semi-finals. Twenty-time Grand Slam Champion Federer beat Kyle Edmund 6-1, 6-4 and Nadal beat Filip Krajinovic 6-3, 6-4.
Fourth-seeded Federer, fresh off his 100th career title, looked poised to finish off Edmund in less than an hour. But the Swiss great had to fight off three break points as he served for the match, just a small speed bump in a match that he took charge of early.
"Conditions are tough with the glare, and the jump of the ball it's sometimes hard to find the rhythm and timing."
Five-time champion Federer now faces Pole Hubert Hurkacz who ranked 67th in the world, sent 25th-ranked Canadian Denis Shapovalov packing 7-6 (7/3), 2-6, 6-3. Three times winner Nadal will face Karen Khachanov who beat world number nine John Isner 6-4, 7-6 (7/1).
The Spanish second seed lost his serve just once in the match on a sunny and windy Wednesday in California.
"The difference between players is not huge. Its small gaps," Nadal said about the upsets on Tuesday, including the surprise exit of world No 1 Novak Djokovic. "Is true that for the last 10 years didn't happen very often."
