Indian Wells, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Top-seeded Novak Djokovic and fourth- seeded Andy Murray were third-round winners Monday at the BNP Paribas Open, a Masters 1000 ATP event.
Djokovic managed his way past Albert Ramos-Vinolas 7-5, 6-3, while Murray held off 26th-seeded German Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 in a topsy-turvy affair on the hardcourts at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
The reigning titlist Djokovic is a three-time Indian Wells champion and former runner-up. He beat Roger Federer in last year's marquee finale.
Murray, meanwhile, is just two wins from surpassing Tim Henman's haul of 496 career match victories, which will make him Britain's most successful player in the Open Era in terms of matches won. He also needs just four more triumphs to join the 500 wins club.
The Australian Open runner-up Murray lost to the great Rafael Nadal in the 2009 Indian Wells finale.
Up next for the two-time Grand Slam champion from Scotland will be Frenchman Adrian Mannarino, who upended 14th-seeded struggling Latvian Ernests Gulbis 6-4, 6-4.
Kei Nishikori, the No. 5 seed, dropped the first set of his third-round match to Fernando Verdasco before rallying for a 6-7 (6-8), 6-1, 6-4 win. The 12th- seeded Feliciano Lopez beat Pablo Cuevas 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.
In an upset, 32nd-seeded Bernard Tomic fought past eighth-seeded David Ferrer 7-5, 6-4.
American John Isner got past 16th-seeded Kevin Anderson 7-6 (8-6), 6-2 and Thanasi Kokkinakis defeated Juan Monaco 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (7-5).
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