Djokovic and Isner Into Indian Wells Round of 16
Two-time former Indian Wells champion Novak Djokovic will play Marin Cilic in the Round of 16 at the BNP Paribas Open, as Djokovic was a 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 winner over Alejandro Gonzalez Tuesday, and Cilic a 6-4, 6-3 winner over Tommy Robredo. Djokovic is undefeated lifetime against Cilic, with a 7-0 mark.
"I've played him several times on different surfaces,” said Djokovic of Cilic. “We haven't played each other for quite a long time." They last met in August of 2012 at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. Cilic has lost just once in his past 17 matches.
Spain’s Fernando Verdasco defeated Richard Gasquet 7-6(5), 6-2 to advance to the round of 16. Verdasco will net meet American John Isner, a 6-4 6-3 winner over Lu Yen-Hsun Tuesday night. Isner defeated Lu this past January in the Auckland final.
The 20th-seeded Ernests Gulbis needed nearly two hours to defeat Grigor Dimitrov 2-6, 6-1, 7-5 to also advance to the Round of 16. Gulbis will next attempt to reach an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 quarterfinal for the fifth time when he meets Roberto Bautista Agut, who defeated Jarkko Nieminen Tuesday, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(6). Bautista Agut had upset world number five Tomas Berdych in the second round earlier in the week.
Feliciano Lopez also reached the fourth round in Indian Wells when he beat Mikhail Kukushkin 1-6, 6-3, 6-4. He will next face Julien Benneteau, a 7-6(4), 6-3 winner over Dominic Thiem.
