BNP Paribas Open 2014: Daily Scores, Results and Schedule

With Roland Garros starting to become visible on the horizon, the month of March offers players two more chances at the hard courts before being fully immersed in the clay season. 

The BNP Paribas Open is the first of a pair of Masters 1000 events this month, and it will feature every top 10 player from both the men's and women's side with the exception of David Ferrer and Serena Williams. 

World No. 1 Rafael Nadal, the defending champion from Indian Wells Tennis Garden in California, is coming off a win in Rio, but he didn't face anywhere near the competition he'll see this week. 

Australian Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka will be there, as will Novak Djokovic, who has won in Indian Wells twice. 

Of course, you can't forget about Roger Federer, who looked so improved in Australia after a mostly forgettable 2013 season, and Andy Murray, who is still working back into form in his recovery from back surgery at the end of last year.

Djokovic talked about the stacked field, via ATPWorldTour.com's Josh Meiseles:

"

Roger played a great tournament in Dubai. He’s one of the best players in the history of the game and you can never count him out. He always plays really well and you have to be on top of your game to win against him regardless of which surface you play on. It’s Roger Federer across the net.

Of course Rafa is there too and you have young guys like Dimitrov and Raonic and Janowicz.  It’s a very interesting time for men's tennis. It’s just the beginning of the season so it’s still very early in the season to predict who will finish No. 1 but there is a bigger group of guys, not just the four of us.

"

As if the loaded singles competition wasn't enough to pique your interest, Swiss compatriots Federer and Wawrinka will be teaming up in doubles action, while Djokovic (with Filip Krajinovic) and Murray (with Jonathan Marray) will also be taking part as teams prepare for the Davis Cup. 

Over on the women's side, Maria Sharapova is the defending champion but if what we saw in Australia was any indication, it's to expect the unexpected.

Click ahead for the full results as they unfold during what should be a scintillating first 1000 Masters event of the year. 

Note: You can find the draws here, the schedule here and the results here, courtesy of BNPParibasOpen.com

March 16 Scores

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Men's Singles

No. 2 Novak Djokovic def. No. 7 Roger Federer 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3)

Women's Singles

No. 20 Flavia Pennetta def. No. 2 Agnieszka Radwanska 6-2, 6-1

Recap

It may have taken longer than anyone expected for Flavia Pennetta to get the biggest win of her career, but she did it in style.

Pennetta was dominant from start to finish Sunday, defeating second-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska 6-2, 6-1 to earn her 15th career ATP championship and first BNP Paribas Open title. It was the second straight sterling performance for the 32-year-old Italian, who needed three sets to defeat 17-year-old Taylor Townsend in her first match but swept the top two seeds in fine form.

Like she did against No. 1 Li Na, Pennetta played with a calming precision to overwhelm Radwanska, who was dealing with a knee injury throughout the match. Multiple times the training staff had to come on the court to examine her left leg, but she valiantly stayed in the match despite falling behind early. Pennetta lost only two games in the first set by relentlessly breaking the obviously hobbled Radwanska.

By winning—in what some would argue is the biggest triumph of her career—Pennetta will move up to No. 12 in the world. An accomplished doubles player with a 2011 Australian Open championship under her belt, Pennetta's career-best ranking was No. 10.

“After so many years working hard,” Pennetta told reporters after the match, “this is the best moment.”

According to the Associated Press (h/t USA Today), Pennetta is the third-oldest woman to win at Indian Wells. Martina Navratilova won the event at both age 33 and 34. Pennetta is also the lowest-seeded champion in history, as Indian Wells is typically flooded with elite winners because of its high-profile stature.

On the men's side, Roger Federer narrowly missed out on making it an all-30s winner's circle in California. The former world No. 1 pushed Novak Djokovic to the brink in the deciding third set, but the world's second-ranked player came out on top in a thrilling tiebreak to take the win.

It was the first win of 2014 for Djokovic, decidedly not in his finest form throughout the first few months. And at times on Sunday, the foibles that overtook Djokovic's season came to pass. He failed to capitalize on multiple break points, was broken himself in the third set and had real trouble with his second serve.

There was certainly no sign that Djokovic is yet ready to challenge of challenging Rafael Nadal's No. 1 ranking. But for those looking to see whether Djokovic is ready to battle adversity, the answer is almost certainly yes. He came back from an ugly first-set loss to Federer, who had an 11-match win streak snapped as he dropped the final two sets.

More than anything, though, fans were given a thrilling match between two all-time greats. Little separated Federer and Djokovic on Sunday. That could be a great sign for Federer's season or a bad one for Djokovic. At age 32, there's no way Federer should still be competing with the likes of Djokovic—still decidedly in the prime of his career.

And with Djokovic struggling coming into Indian Wells, it will be interesting to see how this affects him going forward. With any luck, this win will be the spark that reignites debate about the world's best player. For now, though, Djokovic will probably take just getting on the board. 

March 15 Scores

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Men's Singles

Roger Federer defeated Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-3, 6-1

Novak Djokovic defeated John Isner 7-5, 6-7 (2), 6-1

Women's Singles

Agnieszka Radwanska defeated Simona Halep 6-3. 6-4

Flavia Pennetta defeated Li Na 7-6, 6-3

Recaps

Flavia Pennetta upset top-seeded Li Na and earned a spot in the final against Agnieszka Radwanska on Sunday. Wilson Tennis captures one of Pennetta's victorious moments from the 7-6, 6-3 win.

Per Ben Rothenberg from The New York Times, Pennetta said she couldn't stop smiling after knocking off Li.

The win set up a meeting in the final with Radwanska. A win over Radwanska would make this tournament the breakout moment of Pennetta's career thus far.

Federer and Djokovic will renew their historic rivalry on Sunday, This will be the 33rd meeting of their careers and Fed owns a 17-15 edge thus far. He recently knocked Djokovic off in the semifinals in Dubai in February.

On Saturday, Fed easily sent Dolgopolov packing in straight sets.

Djokovic didn't have as easy of a time with Isner. The latter seemed to lose focus in the third set and Djokovic mowed him down.

Who holds the edge heading into Sunday. Smart money is on Fed. He's playing well and Djokovic has always had issues with his style. We'll find out for sure on Sunday.

March 14 Results

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Men's Single Results

No. 2 Novak Djokovic (Serbia) defeats Julien Benneteau (France) 6-1, 6-3

No. 12 John Isner (United States) defeats No. 20 Ernests Gulbis (Latvia) 7-6, 7-6

Women's Single Results

No. 20 Flavia Pennetta (Italy) defeats No. 1 Li Na (China) 7-6, 6-3

No. 2 Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) defeats No. 6 Simona Halep (Romania) 6-3, 6-4

Novak Djokovic and John Isner will face each other in the semifinals in Indian Wells after both won in straight sets Friday.

Djokovic easily dispatched Julien Benneteau 6-1, 6-3, but Isner had a little more trouble advancing. It took two tiebreakers to finally beat Ernests Gulbis.

On the women's side, the top seed Li Na was upset by Flavia Pennetta in straight sets. It ended any hopes that fans had of a finals matchup between the top two ranked players.

No. 2 Agnieszka Radwanska did her part though, easily dispatching Simona Halep in straight sets.

Mach 13 Results

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Men's Single Results:

No. 7 Roger Federer (Switzerland) defeats No. 17 Kevin Anderson (South Africa) 7-5, 6-1

No. 28 Alexandr Dolgopolov (Ukraine) defeats No. 10 Milos Raonic (Canada) 6-3, 6-4

Grace Baraniak (United States) defeats Terry Wood (United States) 7-6, 6-4

Larry Leroy (United States) defeats Nick Chevrefils (United States) 6-2, 6-1

Mike Mallet (United States) defeats Eul Bongcaras (United States) 6-4, 6-3

Jaime Rojas (United States) defeats Clai Perreras (United States) 6-2, 6-3

Women's Single Results:

No. 1 Li Na (China) defeats No. 12 Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3

No. 20 Flavia Pennetta (Italy) defeats No. 17 Sloane Stephens (United States) 6-4, 5-7, 6-4

The two headline matches on Thursday came in the form of Li Na's victory over Dominika Cibulkova and Roger Federer's win over Kevin Anderson.

Na needed three sets to knock off Cibulkova, but she handled the final set with ease, winning 6-3. Federer dispatched Anderson in straight sets, barely breaking a sweat in the second one.

March 12 Results

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Men's Single Results

No. 28 Alexandr Dolgopolov (Ukraine) defeats No. 13 Fabio Fognini (Italy) 6-2, 6-4

No. 10 Milos Raonic (Canada) defeats No. 5 Andy Murray (Great Britain) 4-6, 7-5, 6-3

No. 17 Kevin Anderson (Russia) defeats No. 3 Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) 7-6, 4-6, 6-1

No. 7 Roger Federer (Switzerland) defeats No. 11 Tommy Haas (Germany) 6-4, 6-4

No. 12 John Isner (United States) defeats No. 30 Fernando Verdasco (Spain) 7-6, 3-6, 6-3

No. 20 Ernests Gulbis (Latvia) defeats Roberto Bautista Agut (Spain) 7-6, 4-6, 6-2

Julien Benneteau (France) defeats Feliciano Lopez (Spain) 6-3, 7-6

No. 2 Novak Djokovic (Serbia) defeats No. 24 Marin Cilic (Croatia) 1-6, 6-2, 6-3

Women's Single Results

No. 6 Simona Halep (Romania) defeats Casey Dellacqua (Australia) 6-2, 6-2

It was full slate on the men's side of things in Indian Wells on Wednesday.

Notable names Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and John Isner advanced, while Andy Murray and Stanislas Wawrinka were sent home. 

Federer cruised to victory in impressive fashion over No. 11 Tommy Haas. However, his fellow countryman Wawrinka lost a hard-fought match that went three sets and included a tiebreaker in the first to Kevin Anderson.

Djokovic was nearly upset by Cilic, but fought back from an awful first set to advance.

March 11 Results

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Men's Single Results

No. 30 Fernando Verdasco (Spain) defeats No. 8 Richard Gasquet (France) 7-6, 6-1

Roberto Bautista Agut (Spain) defeats Jarkko Nieminen (Finland) 6-2, 4-6, 7-6

Feliciano Lopez (Spain) defeats Mikhail Kukushkin (Kazakhstan) 1-6, 6-3, 6-4

No. 24 Marin Cilic (Croatia) defeats No. 16 Tommy Robredo (Spain) 6-4, 6-3

No. 2 Novak Djokovic (Serbia) defeats Alejandro Gonzalez (Columbia) 6-1, 3-6, 6-1

No. 12 John Isner (United States) defeats Yen-Hsun Lu (Taiwan) 6-4, 6-3

No. 20 Ernests Gulbis (Latvia) defeats No. 15 Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria) 2-6, 6-1, 7-5

Julien Benneteau (France) defeats Dominic Thiem (Austria) 7-6, 6-3

Women's Single Results

No. 6 Simona Halep (Romania) defeats No. 18 Eugenie Bouchard (Canada) 6-2, 1-6, 6-4

No. 7 Jelena Jankovic (Serbia) defeats No. 10 Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) 6-3, 6-1

Casey Dellacqua (Australia) defeats Lauren Davis (United States) by retirement

No. 12 Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia) defeats No. 8 Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) 6-3, 6-2

No. 20 Flavia Pennetta (Italy) defeats Camila Giorgi (Italy) 6-2, 6-1

No. 17 Sloane Stephens (United States) defeats Alisa Kleybanova (Russia) 6-3, 7-5

No. 2 Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) defeats No. 22 Alize Cornet (France) 7-5, 6-3

No. 1 Li Na (China) defeats Aleksandra Wozniak (Canada) 6-1, 6-4

The headliner in the early action of play was Novak Djokovic, who was challenged by Alejandro Gonzalez but ultimately prevailed in three sets.

While it needs to be classified as a challenge because it went the distance in terms of sets, Djokovic left no doubt who the winner was going to be with an impressive final set. Thus far, the superstar has performed well in Indian Wells, which makes sense given the confidence he displayed in a pre-tournament press conference in comments that were passed along by Josh Meiseles of atpworldtour.com:

"

But, again, I have still a lot of confidence because I'm playing well. I'm feeling good about myself. As I said, when you work hard and when you trust your instincts and you have that self belief on the court, the results will come. 

"

On the women's side of things, Jelena Jankovic handled former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets to reach the quarterfinals.

Jankovic is a former No. 1 herself, so there was plenty of intrigue surrounding the match before it started. However, it didn't turn out to be a three-set thriller, as Jankovic dominated throughout.

Elsewhere on the women's side of things, the No. 1 and No. 2 seed advanced in straight sets.

Li Na handled Aleksandra Wozniak with relative ease, while Agnieszka Radwanska held off Alize Cornet.

March 10 Results

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Men's Singles Results

No. 28 Alexandr Dolgopolov (Ukraine) defeats No. 2 Rafael Nadal (Spain) 6-3, 3-6, 7-6

No. 13 Fabio Fognini (Italy) defeats No. 23 Gael Monfils (France) 6-2, 3-6, 7-5

No. 10 Milos Raonic (Canada) defeats Alejandro Falla (Columbia) 6-4, 6-3

No. 5 Andy Murray (Great Britain) defeats Jiri Vesely (Czech Republic) 6-7, 6-4, 6-4

No. 3 Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) defeats No. 29 Andreas Seppi (Italy) 6-0, 6-2

No. 17 Kevin Anderson (South Africa) defeats Evgeny Donskoy (RusCamila Giorgisia) 4-6, 6-0. 6-3

No. 7 Roger Federer (Switzerland) defeats No. 27 Dmitry Tursunov (Russia) 7-6, 7-6

Women's Single Results

No. 1 Na Li (China) defeats Karolina Pliskova (Czech Republic) 6-3, 6-4

Aleksandra Wozniak (Canada) defeats No. 21 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia) 6-1, 6-7, 6-0

No. 12 Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia) defeats No. 23 Ekaterina Makarova (Russia) 6-4, 7-5

No. 8 Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) defeats No. 27 Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) 6-3, 2-6, 6-0

Camila Giorgi (Italy) defeats No. 4 Maria Sharapova (Russia) 6-3, 4-6, 7-5

No. 20 Flavia Pennetta (Italy) defeats No. 16 Samantha Stosur (Australia) 6-4, 3-6, 6-1

No. 17 Sloane Stephens (United States) defeats No. 11 Ana Ivanovic (Serbia) 7-6, 6-4

Alisa Kleybanova (Russia) defeats Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor (Spain) 6-1, 6-3

While there were a number of notable scores from Monday's action, two matches in particular jump out.

No. 2 Nadal was eliminated much earlier than anticipated in Indian Wells, as he fell to No. 28 Dolgopolov. Perhaps most surprising of all was the fact that Nadal lost in the tiebreaker in the decisive third set after appearing to regain control with a dominant second set.

Nadal held a 4-2 lead in the tiebreak before eventually bowing out. 

While Nadal's loss meant the defending champion on the men's side was eliminated, we saw a similar development on the women's side of things.

Sharapova, who won the title at Indian Wells last year, fell to qualifier Giorgi in a nearly identical fashion as Nadal's loss.

After dropping the first set, Sharapova appeared to regain the momentum with a second set victory but ultimately fell in the final set.

Sharapova shared her thoughts on the match to reporters in comments that were passed along by Reuters (via ibnlive.in.com):

"

I did not play a good match at all. (I've) never played against her, but she's someone that doesn't give you much rhythm. She's quite aggressive, but some shots she hits incredible for a long period of time.

Sometimes they go off a bit. But, if I'm speaking about my level, it was nowhere near where it should have been.

"

Alas, we will have a new champion on both the men's and women's side of things in Indian Wells this year.

March 9 Results

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Spor

Men's Singles: Second Round

Yen-Hsun Lu (Chinese Taipei) defeats Philipp Kohlschreiber (Germany) 6-2, 6-2

No. 12 John Isner (USA) defeats Nikolay Davydenko (Russia) 7-6(5), 6-3

No. 20 Ernests Gulbis (Latvia) defeats Joao Sousa (Portugal) 6-3, 6-3

Roberto Bautista Agut (Spain) defeats No. 4 Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) 4-6, 6-2, 6-4

Mikhail Kukushkin (Kazakhstan) defeats No. 25 Vasek Pospisil (Canada) 6-0, 6-2

Dominic Theim (Austria) defeats No. 21 Giles Simon (France) 7-6(5), 6-2

No. 24 Marin Cilic (Croatia) defeats Paolo Lorenzi (Italy) 6-2, 6-2

Alejandro Gonzalez (Columbia) defeats No. 31 Ivan Dodig (Croatia) 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(5)

No. 8 Richard Gasquet (France) defeats Teymuraz Gabashvili (Russia) 6-0, 2-0 (retirement)

No. 30 Fernando Verdasco (Spain) defeats Horacio Zeballos (Argentina) 7-5, 7-5

No. 15 Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria) defeats Robin Haase (Netherlands) 6-4, 6-3

Jarkko Nieminen (Finland) defeats No. 26 Florian Mayer (Germany) 6-1, 1-0 (retirement)

Feliciano Lopez (Spain) defeats No. 6 James Ward (Great Britain) 3-6, 6-2, 6-4

Julien Benneteau (France) defeats No. 9 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France) 6-4, 6-4

No. 16 Tommy Robredo (Spain) defeats Marinko Matosevic (Australia) 7-6, 5-7, 6-4

No. 2 Novak Djokovic (Serbia) defeats Victor Hanescu (Romania) 7-6, 6-2

Women's Singles: Third Round

No. 6 Simona Halep (Romania) defeats No. 26 Lucie Safarova (Czech Republic) 6-2, 4-6, 6-4

No. 18 Eugenie Bouchard (Canada) defeats No. 9 Sarah Errani (Italy) 6-3, 6-3

Casey Dellacqua (Australia) defeats No. 13 Roberta Vinci (Italy) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3

No. 10 Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) defeats Yaroslava Shvedova (Kazakhstan) 7-6(7), 3-6, 6-1

No. 22 Alize Cornet (France) defeats No. 14 Carla Suarez Navvaro (Spain) 6(4)-7, 7-5, 6-3

Lauren Davis (United States) defeats Varvara Lepchenko (United States) 6-3, 6-2

No. 2 Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) defeats Annika Beck (Germany) 6-0, 6-0

No. 7 Jelena Jankovic (Serbia) defeats No. 31 Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia) 6-3, 6-2

The biggest shocker from the early action was the fall of No. 4 seed Tomas Berdych. 

Spanish journeyman Roberto Bautista Agut appeared to be easy prey for the former Wimbledon finalist before the match began. After Berdych took the first set 6-4, it appeared he'd cruise into the third round, as expected.

However, Bautista Agut had different plans. He took the second set with ease, losing just two games, and then closed out the match with a strong third set to win 4-6, 6-2, 6-4. 

"I played unbelievable," he said afterward, via Sky Sports. "I was not serving very well, I had to play my best tennis from the baseline to win the match."

Conversely, Berdych was disgusted by his performance. 

"Anything I touched today was basically bad and was wrong," he said. "Definitely my worst match that I had this year. I just started to feel not tight but not that crisp, like in the last couple of weeks."

Over on the women's side, Eugenie Bouchard continued her strong play as she rises up the ranks, knocking off the 2012 French Open champ Sara Errani in straight sets. 

The young woman who has stated she doesn't want any friends on tour, as pointed out by Damien Cox of The Toronto Star, is well on her way to becoming an international star. She points to her toughness as her best asset, which Cox elaborates on:

"

That confidence, that toughness, along with her burgeoning talent have many projecting Bouchard, currently ranked No. 19 in the world, to become what Canada has never produced: A Grand Slam champion. A world No. 1.

"

She'll face No. 6-seeded Simona Halep in the next round, and the level of competition only gets tougher going forward. 

Elsewhere, No. 2 Novak Djokovic cruised to victory in straight sets. 

He had to battle for the first set, winning 7-6, but he made quick work of Victor Hanescu in the second set. If Djokovic plays that impressively throughout the tournament, he will be difficult to beat.

March 8 Results

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Men's Singles: Second Round

Tommy Haas (11), Germany, def. Jeremy Chardy, France, 6-3, 6-4

Alejandro Falla, Colombia, def. Jerzy Janowicz (18), Poland, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(5)

Evgeny Donskoy, Russia, def. Michael Russell, United States, 6-4, 6-3

Andy Murray (5), Britain, def. Lukas Rosol, Czech Republic, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2

Kevin Anderson (17), South Africa, def. Lleyton Hewitt, Australia, 7-6(5), 6-4

Andreas Seppi (29), Italy, def. Sam Querrey, United States, 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-3

Alexandr Dolgopolov (28), Ukraine, def. Tim Smyczek, United States, 7-6(3), 6-4

Roger Federer (7), Switzerland, def. Paul-Henri Mathieu, France, 6-2, 7-6(6)

Milos Raonic (10), Canada, def. Edouard Roger-Vasselin, France, 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-6(2)

Dmitry Tursunov (27), Russia, def. Juan Monaco, Argentina, 7-6(4), 6-4

Jiri Vesely, Czech Republic, def. Pablo Andujar (32), Spain, 6-1, 2-6, 6-1

Stanislas Wawrinka (3), Switzerland, def. Ivo Karlovic, Croatia, 6-3, 7-5

Fabio Fognini (13), Italy, def. Ryan Harrison, United States, 5-7, 6-1, 6-4

Kei Nishikori (19), Japan, def. Santiago Giraldo, Colombia, 6-1, 6-3

Rafael Nadal (1), Spain, def. Radek Stepanek, Czech Republic, 2-6, 6-4, 7-5

Gael Monfils (23), France, def. Sergiy Stakhovsky, Ukraine, 6-2, 6-4

Women's Singles: Second Round

Li Na (1), China, def. Zheng Jie, China, 6-1, 7-5

Ana Ivanovic (11), Serbia, def. Elina Svitolina, Ukraine, 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(1)

Karolina Pliskova, Czech Republic, def. Klara Zakopalova (28), Czech Republic, 7-5, 6-2

Ekaterina Makarova (23), Russia, def. Monica Niculescu, Romania, 5-7, 7-6(3), 6-3

Petra Kvitova (8), Czech Republic, def. CoCo Vandeweghe, United States, 6-1, 6-3

Dominika Cibulkova (12), Slovakia, def. Donna Vekic, Croatia, 6-3, 6-2

Svetlana Kuznetsova (27), Russia, def. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, Czech Republic, 6-3, 6-3

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (21), Russia, def. Caroline Garcia, France, 6-4, 7-5

Sam Stosur (16), Australia, def. Francesca Schiavone, Italy, 6-2, 6-3

Alisa Kleybanova, Russia, def. Garbine Muguruza (32), Spain, 6-3, 6-2

Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor, Spain, def. Angelique Kerber (5), Germany, 2-6, 7-6(5), 6-4

Maria Sharapova (4), Russia, def. Julia Goerges, Germany, 6-1, 6-4

Aleksandra Wozniak, Canada, def. Sabine Lisicki (15), Germany, 7-5, 1-6, 7-6(5)

Camila Giorgi, Italy, def. Sorana Cirstea (25), Romania, 7-6(3), 6-3

Flavia Pennetta (20), Italy, def. Taylor Townsend, United States, 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-3

Saturday continued some intense action, as the second round of action saw its fair share of upsets, close matches and blowouts.

The United States continued to falter in the tournament, as not a single American was able to get through Saturday's action. However, the top-notch contenders of the event continued to shine.

Roger Federer continued his prowess, defeating Paul-Henri Mathieu of France in consecutive sets. Andy Murray began slowly; however, he was able to right the ship against Lukas Rosol and win the final two sets in decisive fashion.

Then there's Rafael Nadal. Like Murray, he began slowly, losing his first set to unranked Radek Stepanek. Unlike Murray, he was not able to regain his form and was taken to the limit by the Czech forcing Nadal to squeeze by in the third set by a score of 7-5.

Jerzy Janowicz of Poland was the highest-ranked player to be knocked out of contention, as the No. 18 seed fell to Alejandro Falla after an extended third set.

On the women's side, a surprising loss by No. 5 Angelique Kerber to unranked Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor in three sets shocked all in attendance. Kerber was figured to be one of the favorites to go the distance, but was forced to leave early.

Li Na of China continued her dominant play, defeating Zheng Jie handily in two sets by scores of 6-1 and 7-5. Maria Sharapova looked good as well, as she emerged victorious against Julia Goerges of Germany in two sets.

We could be in for a treat if Na and Sharapova were to face off in the finals.

March 7 Results

Jeff Gross/Getty Images

Women's Singles: Second Round

(2) A. Radwanska def. H. Watson; 6-4, 6-3

L. Davis def. (3) V. Azarenka; 6-0, 7-6(1)

(6) S. Halep def K. Nara; 6-2, 6-2

(7) J. Jankovic def. Y. Meusburger; 6-3, 6-1

(9) S. Errani def. S. Fichman; 6-1, 6-1

(10) C. Wozniacki def. B. Jovanovski; 6-1 6-3

(13) R. Vinci def. M. Keys; 6-3, 6-3

(14) C. Suarez Navarro def. K. Mladenovic; 6-3, 6-3

(18) E. Bouchard def. S. Peng; 6-2, 6-2

(19) K. Flipkens def. C. Dellacqua; 6-1, 3-6, 6-1

(22) A. Cornet def. S. Soler-Espinosa; 6-3, 4-6, 6-2

Y. Shvedova def. (24) K. Kanepi; 6-3, 6-2

(26) L. Safarova def. Y. Wickmayer; 6-3, 6-4

V. Lepchenko def. (29) D. Hantuchova; 6-3, 6-2

A. Beck def. (30) E. Vesnina; 6-2, 3-6, 6-3

(31) M. Rybarikova def. S. Rogers; 6-4, 6-3

Men's Singles: First Round 

T. Gabashvili def. N. Mahut; 6-2, 7-5

M. Matosevic def. B. Klahn; 6-4, 6-4

F. Lopez def. D. Sela (ISR); 7-5, 6-3

Y. Lu def T. Kamke; 6-0, 6-4

H. Zeballosd def. R. Ram; 6-3, 7-6(4)

A. Gonzalez def. A. Mannarino; 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(6)

J. Sousa def. O. Nedovyesov; 6-4, 6-1

R. Bautista Agut def. S. Johnson; 6-3, 6-3

P. Lorenzi def. P. Carreno Busta; 6-3, 1-6, 62

V. Hanescu  def. S. Robert; 7-5, 3-6, 6-4

M. Kukushkin def. S. Groth; 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(4)

R. Haase def. J. Smith; 6-4, 6-4

J. Benneteau def. D. Munoz-De La Nava; 3-6, 6-1, 6-3

D. Thiem def. D. Kosakowski; 6-2, 7-6(1)

Friday featured plenty of excitement and surprises at Indian Wells as 2012 women's champion Victoria Azarenka fell to unseeded American challenger Lauren Davis under the lights on center court.

The world No. 4 was blanked in the opening set before fighting back to take a 5-4 advantage in the second set. But Azarenka, clearly bothered by her foot, was unable to overcome the pain, falling in the second set tiebreak.

The two-time Grand Slam champion looked out of sorts all night long, double faulting 12 times and surrendering 11 break points to Davis.

But while Azarenka stumbled, another tournament favorite, second-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska capitalized, defeating Heather Watson in straight sets to reach Round 3. With Azarenka out of the picture, Radwanska will be favored to reach the final from the bottom of the draw. Keep in mind that she's never won here before. 

Azarenka's early exit also opens the door for sixth-seeded Simona Halep, who was dominant on Friday and is considered by many to be a dark horse at this event with Serena Williams opting to skip.

Men's first-round singles action concluded on Friday, setting the stage for a star-studded Saturday that will showcase three members of the Big Four and Australian Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka.

The four American hopefuls in action on Friday each came up short as Steve Johnson, Rajeev Ram, Daniel Kosakowski and Bradley Klahn all lost in straight sets to miss out on the second round. 

March 6 Results

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Spor

Men's Singles: First Round

Tim Smyczek defeats Jack Sock, 6-4, 1-6, 6-4

Lleyton Hewitt defeats Matthew Ebden, 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-3

Edouard Roger-Vasselin defats Benjamin Becker, 6-4, 6-2

Michael Russell defeats Donald Young, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2

Radek Stepanek defeats Denis Istomin, 6-1, 3-6, 6-1

Sergiy Stakhovsky defeats Lukasz Kubot, 6-4, 7-5

Alejandro Falla defeats Federico Delbonis, 6-3, 6-4

Jiri Vesely defeats Igor Sijsling, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(1)

Lukas Rosol defeats Dusan Jajovic, 6-7(2), 7-5, 6-4

Jeremy Chardy defeats Rhyne Williams, 7-6(5), 7-5

Santiago Giraldo defeats Daniel Gimeno-Traver, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4

Juan Monaco defeats Peter Polansky, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-4

Paul-Henri Mathieu defeats Robby Ginepri, 6-2, 6-3

Ryan Harrison defeats Andrey Golubev, 6-4, 7-5

Ivo Karlovic defeats Alex Bogomolov Jr., 6-4, 6-4

Women's Singles: First Round

Jie Zheng defeats Paula Ormaechea, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(5)

Karolina Pliskova defeats Michelle Larcher De Brito, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2

Aleksandra Wozniak defeats Urszula Radwanska, 6-2, 6-0

Donna Vekic defeats Olivia Rogowska, 6-0, 5-7

Monica Niculescu defeats Marina Erakovic, 6-2, 6-2

Coco Vandeweghe defeats Alexandra Cadantu, 6-4, 6-0

Julia Goerges defeats Jana Cepelova, 6-1, 2-6, 6-3

Camila Giorgi defeats Andrea Petkovic, 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-3

Taylor Townsend defeats Karin Knapp, 7-6(1), 6-1

Francesca Schiavone defeats Mona Barthel, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2

Elina Svitolina defeats Monica Puig, 6-4, 7-5

Ajla Tomljanovic defeats Lourdes Dominguez Lino, 6-4, 7-6(2)

Alisa Kleybanova defeats Victoria Duval, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4

Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor defeats Galina Voskoboeva, 6-1, 1-0 (retirement)

Analysis

The American men struggled on their home court on Thursday, as only Tim Smyczek, Michael Russell and Ryan Harrison were able to advance. Of course, the former two victories came at the expense of a compatriot, as Smyczek took care of Jack Sock in three sets, while Russell topped former junior No. 1 Donald Young. 

Rhyne Williams and Robby Ginepri both lost in straight sets, but Harrison was able to salvage the day for the home crowd with a late victory over Andrey Golubev. 

The biggest win of the day may have come from Czech Radek Stepanek, as he was able to take care of Denis Istomin, who won two matches in Australia and held his own against Novak Djokovic in Dubai. Unfortunately for Stepanek, that sets up a match with World No. 1 Rafael Nadal in the second round. 

Lleyton Hewitt has struggled a bit since a tournament win in Brisbane, but he showed signs of righting the ship with a win over fellow Australian Matthew Ebden to set up an intriguing battle with Russell in the second round. 

Over on the women's side, one player was able to stop a recent skid. 

The French Open-winner from 2010, Francesca Schiavone, was able to get past Mona Barthel after dropping the first set. That's not normally a real noteworthy moment, but it was Schiavone's first win in eight matches in 2014, putting an end to a nightmarish slide. 

Her prize? A second-round matchup with Samantha Stosur, who fell to Schiavone in the final of that French Open.