Djokovic ousted, Nadal advances in Indian Wells

While third-seeded Nadal advanced on Wednesday with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 triumph over big-serving American John Isner, Djokovic couldn't keep pace with the blistering serves and clean groundstrokes of Ljubicic, a former world number three now ranked 26th in the world.

World number four Andy Murray secured his quarter-final slot with ease as Spain's Nicolas Almagro retired while trailing with an apparent left ankle injury.

Murray led 6-2, 1-0 when Almagro called it quits after receiving treatment on court at the end of the first set.

Ljubicic said he was delighted to end a five-match skid against Djokovic, calling some of those defeats “brutal”.

His most recent defeats to the Serb had come in the first round of last year's US Open, and in the quarter-finals at Dubai last month.

Djokovic saved the first, but on the second Ljubicic came up with another big serve that the Serbian could only sail back across the baseline.

Djokovic had looked far from sharp since arriving in the California desert, having to save three match points to subdue Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber in the third round.

The tournament has now lost its top two men's seeds, after world number one Roger Federer was stunned by Marcos Baghdatis in the third round on Tuesday.

That left Spain's Nadal as the highest-ranked player to make it into the quarters as he withstood a barrage of 22 aces from the 24-year-old American Isner.

Nadal closed it out with a forehand winner into an open court.

Nadal next faces Czech Tomas Berdych, a 6-1, 6-3 winner over Serbian Victor Troicki, while Ljubicic will take on Argentina's Juan Monaco, who beat Spain's Guillermo Garcia Lopez 3-6, 6-2, 6-1.

Baghdatis, who saved three match points en route to his triumph over Federer, couldn't hold off Spain's Tommy Robredo, who notched a 7-5, 0-6, 6-4 victory to line up a meeting with seventh-seeded American Andy Roddick, who beat Austraia's Jurgen Melzer 7-6 (7/5), 6-4.

Murray will play sixth-seeded Swede Robin Soderling, who beat France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3, 6-4.

Meanwhile women's fifth seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland booked a semi-final berth with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over fourth-seeded Russian Elena Dementieva.

Radwanska has reached her second semi-final of the season without dropping a set, and denied Dementieva a shot at a third title of 2010 - after triumphs in Sydney and the Paris Indoors.

Radwanska will play second-seeded Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, who outlasted China's Zheng Jie 6-4, 4-6, 6-1.

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