it should have been 6-2, 6-2 but we will take the win. a win is a win.
BNP PARIBAS OPEN 2015
Nadal Defeats Simon For Ninth Indian Wells QF Berth
Indian Wells, U.S.A.
by ATP Staff
| 18.03.2015
Three-time Indian Wells champion Rafael Nadal continued his march toward a fourth trophy on Wednesday with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Frenchman Gilles Simon at the BNP Paribas Open.
The World No. 3 served for the match at 5-2 in the second set, but Simon grabbed the break to temporarily extend his time on the court. The Spaniard rebounded on his next service game, closing out the contest in 78 minutes.
Nadal, who has yet to drop as set this year in Indian Wells, extended his FedEx ATP Head2Head record over Simon to 7-1 with the win. Since the beginning of the 2009 season, he has won 37 of his 41 matches against French opposition. He is currently on a 14-match winning streak against players from France.
The 28-year-old has now reached the quarter-final stage or better in nine of his 11 appearances in the desert. He will face Milos Raonic next after the World No. 6 defeated Tommy Robredo 6-3, 6-2 in just over one hour.
In five appearances at the BNP Paribas Open, the Canadian has gone one round further each year since his third-round exit in 2012 (l. to Federer), reaching the fourth round in 2013 (l. to Tsonga) and quarter-finals in 2014 (l. to Dolgopolov). He will hope to continue that pattern to earn a semi-final berth when he faces Nadal.