World No1s Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams had to dig deep at Indian Wells late on Sunday to fend off a pair of unheralded but spirited opponents in difficult windy conditions in the California desert.
Williams stepped up her bid for her first Indian Wells title in 15 years with a straight-set 7-6 (7/2), 6-0 victory over 56th-ranked Yulia Putintseva.
Djokovic dropped the first set before coming from behind to book a third round spot with a 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory over 149th-ranked qualifier Bjorn Fratangelo.
Reigning champion Simona Halep steamrolled Ekaterina Makarova 6-2, 6-4 to get her title defence off to a flying start.
The two-time Indian Wells champion Williams had a difficult time with Putintseva in the opening set but then marched through the second to wrap up the win in one hour, 15 minutes.
“The first set was a little tricky, then I had to find my inner tiger… and roar,” said Williams, who booked a fourth-round clash with Kateryna Bondarenko.
Williams has a chance to become the first three-time winner in women’s singles at Indian Wells, a feat she failed to achieve last year when she was forced to withdraw from her semi-final with a knee injury.
Williams, who won the event in 1999 and 2001, returned to the tournament last year, ending a 14-year boycott.
Although Williams got off to a poor start Sunday, she closed out the contest in style with an ace on match point.
“I was just trying to find my rhythm out there, trying my best to not get off to a slow start,” she said. “Just trying to fight.”
The defending two-time men’s champion Djokovic has now won 12 consecutive matches in Indian Wells and is seeking to become the first player in tournament history to claim five titles.
Djokovic won 78 per cent of his first serve points and had his serve broken three times including twice in the first three games.
He returned the favour in the deciding third set by breaking Fratangelo in games one, five and seven.
“All in all, it was just not a great performance,” Djokovic said.
“But you have to deal with it, accept it. A win is a win. Hopefully the next one will be better.”
Djokovic next faces German Philipp Kohlschreiber who swept past Denis Kudla 6-0, 6-1.
“Today is one of those days where you don’t feel the ball well,” Djokovic said. “You know, swirly conditions.”
Japanese star Kei Nishikori eased into the third round with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin to set up a third round with No30 seed Steve Johnson.
