Tommy Haas has booked a place in the last 16 at Indian Wells with a 7-6(3) 6-2 victory over Kei Nishikori in the third round.
The Japanese pro started off the stronger of the two by nabbing a break of serve at the first time of asking, but his lead did not last long as Haas broke back to level the set on three games all.
Nishikori remained strong on his service games after losing the break, but he struggled to take the lead, resulting in the opening set finishing on a tie-break, which Haas managed to edge 7-3.
The 19th seed tried to mirror the start of the first set in the second by grabbing an early break, but Haas managed to recover from his two double faults to salvage his opening game.
The first break of the second set came to Haas, who was able to stay strong on his serve and secure another crucial break to push on and grab a place in the fourth round of the tournament.
Danielle Joynson
