Andreescu overwhelms Muguruza to reach semifinal

Federer, Nadal storm into Indian Wells quartersAg AFPINDIAN WELLS, United States: Former champions Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal edged closer to a blockbuster semi-final showdown at the ATP Indian Wells Masters on Wednesday with brisk fourth-round wins.World number two Nadal overpowered Serbian qualifier Filip Krajinovic 6-3, 6-4 to book his quarter-final berth in one hour and 26 minutes.Federer, seeking a record sixth title in the California desert, needed just 64 minutes to get past Britain’s Kyle Edmund 6-1, 6-4. Nadal said his performance on a windy stadium court wasn’t as good as his 6-3, 6-1 third-round win over Argentine Diego Schwartzman.But he was more than a match for 113th-ranked Krajinovic, breaking him early in each set and saving the only break point he faced.Nadal, who lifted the Indian Wells trophy in 2007, 2008 and 2013, is in the last eight for the first time in three years after missing last year’s edition, skipping both Indian Wells and the Miami Masters with a hip injury. He next will take on 13th-ranked Russian Karen Khachanov, who beat world number nine John Isner 6-4, 7-6 (7/1). Khachanov produced just one ace to the big-serving American’s 12 but stretched his record over Isner to 4-0.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.Meanwhile, Bianca Andreescu’s breakout season continued Wednesday as the Canadian teenager swept past two-time Grand Slam champion Garbine Muguruza and into the Indian Wells WTA semi-finals.Andreescu, 18 and ranked 60th in the world, won the first nine games on the way to a 6-0, 6-1 victory that took just 52 minutes. She reached her third semi-final of the season after a run to the final in Auckland and the last four in Acapulco.Andreescu, who began 2019 ranked 152nd in the world, is now headed for the top 40.The win over Muguruza, now ranked 20th, followed a victory over 18th-ranked Wang Qiang of China in the fourth round and took her win-loss record to a remarkable 26-3 in 2019, including qualifying matches. Muguruza said the overall quality of Andreescu’s game was just too much.Andreescu will get a shot at another top-10 player in the semi-finals, after sixth-ranked Elina Svitolina clawed out a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory over another red-hot teen — Marketa Vondrousova of Czech Republic.

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