Thursday 17 March 2016 09:36, UK
Rafael Nadal fought back from match point down to defeat Alexander Zverev and join Novak Djokovic in the last eight of the Indian Wells Masters.
Fourth seed Nadal, three times a champion at Indian Wells, came from 5-2 down in the final set to battle past 18-year-old prospect Zverev 6-7 (8-10) 6-0 7-5.
The power-hitting Zverev had been bidding to become the youngest quarter-finalist at the event since 1989 and led 40-30 when serving for the match, but his nerve deserted him at a critical moment.
The German, rated by Nadal as 'a possible future No 1', netted a forehand for deuce, then netted another to go break point down before dumping a third into the net to be broken.
Nadal won the last five games of the deciding set to reach the quarter-finals, where he will face fifth seed Kei Nishikori, who beat John Isner 1-6 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-5).
Nadal said: "I am especially happy about the mentality on court, the fighting spirit during the whole match, believing that I can win a match during the whole time even in the tougher situations. I'm sorry for him.
"But I think at the same time, I deserve a victory like this after a couple of losses with big chances to win, too."
Reigning champion Djokovic was not forced to work as hard for his win as he routinely beat Feliciano Lopez in straight sets.
The world No 1 needed just 67 minutes to claim a 6-3 6-3 success and exact revenge on the Spaniard after losing to him in Dubai last month.
Third seed Stan Wawrinka was ousted by Belgian David Goffin, who sealed a 6-3 5-7 7-6 (7-5) victory when his Swiss opponent netted a forehand in a closely contested tie-break after a wildly fluctuating match that lasted nearly two-and-a-half hours.
It was only the second time in his career that Goffin had beaten a player ranked in the top 10, and it earned him a spot in the last eight of an ATP Masters 1000 event for the second time.
The 25-year-old Belgian will next meet big-serving Croat Marin Cilic, who beat Frenchman Richard Gasquet 7-5 5-7 6-2.
"It was the best win of my career, for sure," Goffin told Tennis Channel after an often erratic encounter in searing heat that featured 13 breaks of serve.
"I had some problems with my serve, a little bit with my toss. It was tough with the heat and the sun to control the ball."
After breaking Wawrinka three times to sweep through the opening set, Goffin raced into 5-3 leads in both the second and third without managing to serve out for victory.
Wawrinka, who smashed his racquet in frustration early in the second set, levelled the match as the Belgian's service game wavered and won three of the last four games in the third.
However, at 5-5 in the tie-break, the Swiss stunningly hit a forehand smash long with Goffin completely stranded to hand his opponent match point, and the Belgian clinched the win when Wawrinka hit a forehand into the net.
In other action, Milos Raonic, the 12th seed, overpowered sixth-seeded Tomas Berdych 6-4 7-6 (9-7), Gael Monfils eased past Andy Murray's conqueror Federico Delbonis 6-3 6-4, while Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was too good for Dominic Thiem in a 6-3 6-2 win.
