INDIAN WELLS — Angelique Kerber won’t celebrate her return to world No. 1 with an Indian Wells title after a shock fourth-round exit Tuesday at the hands of Elena Vesnina.
Russia’s 14th-seeded Vesnina toppled the second-seeded German 6-3, 6-3 to book a quarterfinal clash with seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams.
Williams battled back from a break down in the final set to beat Chinese qualifier Peng Shuai 3-6, 6-1, 6-3.
Vesnina, the 14th seed, notched her first career victory over a top-three player. Kerber was the top-ranked player in the draw, and will return to No. 1 in the world Monday despite the defeat thanks to Serena Williams’ injury withdrawal from the event.
“I was a little nervous at the end of the match,” Vesnina said. “So I’m really happy that I closed that match because this win means a lot to me.” Kerber, winner of the Australian and US Opens last year, had struggled past 62nd-ranked Pauline Parmentier in the previous round and said she never found her rhythm against Vesnina.
“It was not my day,” she said. “I was doing a lot of mistakes. I was not moving, actually, good. But it’s happened. I mean, she played from the beginning until the end good Tennis, and she was aggressive. So she took the game in her hands.”
Eighth-seeded Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova sped past Caroline Garcia 6-1, 6-4 to lead the way into the quarters. Kuznetsova next faces compatriot Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who toppled fifth-seeded Slovak Dominika Cibulkova 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.
Third-seeded Czech Karolina Pliskova booked her quarterfinal berth with an abbreviated appearance under the hot desert sun.
She was leading Timea Bacsinszky 5-1 when the Swiss player retired with a left wrist injury.
Pliskova next faces seventh-seeded French Open champion Garbine Muguruza, who downed 10th-seeded Ukrainian Elina Svitolina 7-6 (7/5), 1-6, 6-0.
Roger Federer edged Steve Johnson 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4) in a hard-serving duel, setting up a fourth-round match against Rafael Nadal. Federer fired 12 aces — his fastest serve registering 131 mph — and never faced a break point against Johnson, who reached 136 on the radar gun and fought off all four break points against him.
Nadal advanced with a 6-3, 7-5 win against 26th-seeded Fernando Verdasco for his 50th career victory at the desert tournament, where he’s won three titles but none since 2013.
Five-time Indian Wells winner Novak Djokovic defeated 2013 finalist Juan Martin del Potro 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 and next faces Nick Kyrgios in the same quarter of the draw as Federer and Nadal.
Federer hit 32 winners against Johnson, including a forehand volley that earned him a mini-break in the first set tiebreaker. He won five of the next six points and closed out the set on Johnson’s desperate backhand lob that landed wide.
“In the second set, I think he was serving almost 90 percent at one point,” Federer said. “That’s why I changed my position on the return. I was trying to mix it up a bit.”
Nadal closed out his 1 1/2-hour, third-round match in 95-degree (35 C) heat with a forehand winner.
No. 4 seed Kei Nishikori routed 25th-seeded Gilles Muller 6-2, 6-2; American Donald Young defeated 14th-seeded Lucas Pouille 6-4, 1-6, 6-3; No. 15 Nick Kyrgios beat No. 18 Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-4; and Malek Jaziri got by American wild card Taylor Fritz 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
