Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal: Score, Reaction from 2017 Indian Wells

Roger Federer proved once again he is an ageless wonder during Wednesday's showdown against Rafael Nadal at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California.   

No. 9 seed Federer cruised past No. 5 seed Nadal in the fourth-round match 6-2, 6-3.

It was the type of showdown tennis fans are accustomed to seeing in a final, as Federer holds 18 majors compared to 14 for Nadal. Coming into Wednesday's match, Nadal boasted a commanding 23-12 advantage in their head-to-head showdowns, per the ATP World Tour's official website, but Federer now has momentum.

The Swiss star outlasted Nadal in a thrilling five-set match in this year's Australian Open final, and the BNP Paribas Open pointed out he made some personal history against his longtime foe:

The night's match took a mere 68 minutes, per ESPN Tennis. Federer is 35 years old but playing like he's in his prime, and Howard Bryant of ESPN The Magazine suggested there is more to come:

Federer wasted little time dictating the tempo of the match and moved ahead two breaks in the first set. His backhand proved particularly fruitful in the early going, as Tennis TV captured:

He finished the set with his serve, which was foreshadowing news for Nadal. ESPN Tennis noted the winner of the first set prevailed in seven of the previous eight showdowns between these all-time greats.

Brad Gilbert of ESPN pointed to Federer's lethal backhand, which was playing well against Nadal's forehand:

It was more of the same in the second set, as Federer notched an early break to move ahead 2-1. Bryant called the match "not even close" at that point.

From there, Federer took care of business with his serve and continued to put pressure on Nadal. He didn't allow him to break throughout the second set, and tennis journalist Abigail Johnson didn't hold back when describing his level of play:

Federer broke Nadal in the final game to earn the victory. He won four of the five break points he earned, per the tournament's official website, which eliminated Nadal's opportunities for a comeback considering Federer also won 76 percent of his first-service points and 75 percent of his second-service points.

Federer will play No. 15 seed Nick Kyrgios in the quarterfinals Friday.

Kyrgios just beat Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the BNP Paribas Open fourth round, 6-4, 7-6 (3), and will have the opportunity to knock out another marquee name in men's tennis. Kyrgios won his only head-to-head match against Federer in his career, but it's hard to envision the 18-time major winner losing if he puts on a performance like he did Wednesday.

If he controls play with his backhand and then capitalizes on break opportunities, Federer will move another step closer to a title in Indian Wells.

Post-Match Reaction

Federer commented on the victory, per the BNP Paribas Open: "It was a physically good match. I can't celebrate this too long. I've got to get back to work in a couple days."

Nadal praised Federer after the match, per the BNP Paribas Open: "Today he played better than me. He deserved the victory tonight for sure. It's very easy. You need to play well."

Nadal continued, per the BNP Paribas Open: "He took the break in the first game. ... I was there and fighting. I was trying to find solutions. It was not my day."