Three-time former champion Rafael Nadal is through to the semi-finals of the BNP Paribas Open after surviving an early onslaught to defeat Kei Nishikori 6-4, 6-3 on Friday at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

The Spaniard will face either World No. 1 Novak Djokovic or Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for a place in the final of the first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament of the season.

The 29-year-old Nadal is bidding to reach the final in Indian Wells for the fifth time. Winner of 27 Masters 1000 crowns, Nadal lifted the trophy at the BNP Paribas Open in 2007 (d. Djokovic), 2009 (d. Murray) and 2013 (d. Del Potro); he also finished runner-up to Djokovic in 2011.

The left-hander was under pressure early from the fifth-seeded Nishikori, who captured his 11^th ATP World Tour title in Memphis last month (d. Fritz). The Japanese star broke early and had points for a 4-1 double-break lead, before Nadal found his groove.

The Manacor native fought back to level at 3-3 and from 4-4 reeled off five straight games to steal the opener and take a commanding lead in the second set. Nadal had a point for 4-0, before Nishikori halted his momentum. After getting a foothold in the set, Nishikori then brought himself back into contention with a break in the seventh game. But Nadal regained his advantage in the following game and served out victory in one hour and 33 minutes.

Watch live tennis at tennistv.com. Visit BNP Paribas Open Official Website.

Roger Federer is returning to competition. The No. 3 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, out of action since the Australian Open due to a knee injury, will take part in the Miami Open presented by Itau, which kicks off on 23 March.

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The two-time champion (2005-06) confirmed that he will take part in the year’s second ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event via Twitter. He is 8-2 on the year, finishing runner-up in Brisbane (l. to Raonic) and reaching the semi-finals of the Australian Open (l. to Djokovic). He underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus in early February.

??????????????? @MiamiOpen

— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) March 17, 2016

Rise and grind ??? pic.twitter.com/6UOSrCANjZ

— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) March 14, 2016

DAY 9 PREVIEW: Two star-studded quarter-finals featuring four Top 10 players await fans at the BNP Paribas Open on Friday: Top seed Novak Djokovic vs. No. 7 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and No. 4 seed Rafael Nadal vs. No. 5 seed Kei Nishikori. Three of Nadal’s record 27 ATP Masters 1000 titles have come in Indian Wells. That’s one more Masters 1000 and one less BNP Paribas Open title than Djokovic has won as the Serb nears a tournament-record fifth championship.

Friday’s first-quarterfinal pits a pair of players who saved one match point in the fourth round. Nadal rallied from 5-2 down in the third set to defeat 18-year-old Alexander Zverev, while Nishikori edged No. 9 seed John Isner without a single service break. Nadal owns a 7-1 FedEx ATP Head 2 Head record against Nishikori, who beat him in their last meeting at 2015 ATP Masters 1000 Montréal.

The 2007, 2009 and 2013 BNP Paribas Open champion Nadal has won only one of the last 20 ATP Masters 1000 tournaments. Djokovic has triumphed at 12 ATP Masters 1000 events during that stretch, highlighted by back-to-back BNP Paribas Open titles. He is 14-6 overall against Tsonga (8-6 on hard courts), though the Frenchman has beaten him twice at this level. Tsonga defeated Djokovic en route to titles at 2008 ATP Masters 1000 Paris and 2014 ATP Masters 1000 Toronto.

Following the singles quarter-finals, reigning champions Jack Sock and Vasek Pospisil meet Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez in a doubles semi-final. Lopez and Lopez denied Jamie Murray the No. 1 ranking by beating the Brit and Bruno Soares in a match tiebreak on Thursday. Feliciano Lopez will be the only man on the court Friday who hasn’t won the BNP Paribas Open. Marc Lopez captured the title in 2010 and 2012 with Nadal, who like Feliciano Lopez, is a left-handed Spaniard.

FEDEX ATP HEAD 2 HEADS: Singles Quarter-finals

[4] Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs [5] Kei Nishikori (JPN) Nadal Leads 7-1
08 London/Queen’s Club (Great Britain) Grass R16 Rafael Nadal 6-4 3-6 6-3
10 Wimbledon (Great Britain) Grass R128 Rafael Nadal 6-2 6-4 6-4
11 ATP Masters 1000 Miami (U.S.A.) Hard R64 Rafael Nadal 6-4 6-4
12 ATP Masters 1000 Miami (U.S.A.) Hard R16 Rafael Nadal 6-4 6-4
13 Roland Garros (France) Clay R16 Rafael Nadal 6-4 6-1 6-3
14 Australian Open (Australia) Hard R16 Rafael Nadal 7-6(3) 7-5 7-6(3)
14 ATP Masters 1000 Madrid (Spain) Clay F Rafael Nadal 2-6 6-4 3-0 ret
15 ATP Masters 1000 Montréal (Canada) Hard QF Kei Nishikori 6-2 6-4

Nadal 2016 FastFacts
F: Doha (l. to Djokovic); SF (2): Buenos Aires (l. to Thiem); Rio de Janeiro (l. to Cuevas)
YTD W-L: 11-4 (7-2 on hard)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 67
Date of Birth: June 3, 1986
Emirates ATP Ranking: 5
Indian Wells W-L (Best Result): 47-8 (2007, 2009, 2013 Champion)

• 2016 Indian Wells: Saved 1 MP vs. A. Zverev in 4R and 5 set points in 2nd set vs. Verdasco in 3R
• Tournament Note: Winner of 3 singles and 2 doubles titles (2010 and 2012 w/M. Lopez)
• Reached 99th career final to start season in Doha (l. to No. 1 Djokovic)
• Lost to eventual champions in back-to-back SFs at Buenos Aires (l. to Thiem after holding 1 MP) and Rio de Janeiro (l. to Cuevas)
• Suffered 2nd Grand Slam 1R loss of career at Australian Open vs. Verdasco in 4h41m, 5-set marathon

Nishikori 2016 FastFacts
W: Memphis (d. Fritz); QF (2): Brisbane (l. to Tomic); Australian Open (l. to Djokovic)
YTD W-L: 14-4 (14-4 on hard)
YTD Titles: 1 / Career Titles: 11
Date of Birth: December 29, 1989
Emirates ATP Ranking: 6
Indian Wells W-L (Best Result): 7-7 (2016 Quarter-finalist)

• 2016 Indian Wells: Saved 1 MP and did not earn a BP in 16 76(2) 76(5) win over [9] Isner in 4R
• Tournament Note: Reached QF-or-better at 7 of 9 ATP Masters 1000 events (all but Monte-Carlo and Cincinnati)
• Captured 4th straight Memphis title and extended win streak at event to 17 matches (d. Fritz)
• Advanced to 3rd Australian Open QF of career (d. No. 10 Tsonga, l. to No. 1 Djokovic)
• Beat Evans before falling to No. 2 Murray in 5 sets, snapping 12-match Davis Cup win streak (GBR d. JPN 3-1)
• Reached Brisbane QF (l. to Tomic) and Acapulco 2R (l. to Querrey)

[1] Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs [7] Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) Djokovic Leads 14-6
08 Australian Open (Australia) Hard F Novak Djokovic 4-6 6-4 6-3 7-6(2)
08 Bangkok (Thailand) Hard F Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6(4) 6-4
08 ATP Masters 1000 Paris (France) Hard R16 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-4 1-6 6-3
08 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals Hard RR Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 1-6 7-5 6-1
09 Marseille (France) Hard SF Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-4 7-6(1)
09 ATP Masters 1000 Miami (U.S.A.) Hard QF Novak Djokovic 6-3 6-4
10 Australian Open (Australia) Hard QF Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6(8) 6-7(5) 1-6 6-3 6-1
11 Wimbledon (Great Britain) Grass SF Novak Djokovic 7-6(4) 6-2 6-7(9) 6-3
11 ATP Masters 1000 Montréal (Canada) Hard SF Novak Djokovic 6-4 3-0 ret
12 ATP Masters 1000 Rome (Italy) Clay QF Novak Djokovic 7-5 6-1
12 Roland Garros (France) Clay QF Novak Djokovic 6-1 5-7 5-7 7-6(6) 6-1
12 London Olympics (Great Britain) Grass QF Novak Djokovic 6-1 7-5
12 Beijing (China) Hard F Novak Djokovic 7-6(4) 6-2
12 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals Hard RR Novak Djokovic 7-6(4) 6-3
13 ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells Hard QF Novak Djokovic 6-3 6-1
13 ATP Masters 1000 Shanghai (China) Hard SF Novak Djokovic 6-2 7-5
14 Roland Garros (France) Clay R16 Novak Djokovic 6-1 6-4 6-1
14 Wimbledon (Great Britain) Grass R16 Novak Djokovic 6-3 6-4 7-6(5)
14 ATP Masters 1000 Toronto (Canada) Hard R16 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-2 6-2
15 ATP Masters 1000 Shanghai (China) Hard F Novak Djokovic 6-2 6-4

Djokovic 2016 FastFacts
W (2): Doha (d. Nadal); Australian Open (d. Murray); QF: Dubai (l. to Lopez)
YTD W-L: 19-1 (19-1 on hard)
YTD Titles: 2 / Career Titles: 61
Date of Birth: May 22, 1987
Emirates ATP Ranking: 1 (Career-High)
Indian Wells W-L (Best Result): 44-6 (2008, 2011, 2014, 2015 Champion)

• 2016 Indian Wells: Avenged only loss of season and did not face a BP in 63 63 win over [18] Lopez in 4R
• Tournament Note: No. 1 or No. 2 in Emirates ATP Rankings each week since winning 2011 title
• Tied Emerson’s all-time record with 6th Australian Open title (d. No. 2 Murray)
• Moved into tie with Laver and Borg for 5th all-time with 11 Grand Slam men’s singles titles
• Won a 5-set match en route to title for 7th time at a major, overcoming 100 unforced errors in 4R (d. Simon)
• Captured 60th career title to start season at Doha, not dropping a set all week (d. No. 5 Nadal)
• Became 3rd active player to reach 700 wins by beating Jaziri in Dubai 2R on Feb. 24 (also Federer, Nadal)
• Fell 1 shy of Lendl’s Open-Era record 18 straight finals when eye problem forced ret in Dubai QF (l. to Lopez)
• Had not retired since 2011 Davis Cup SF vs. del Potro, a stretch of 350 matches (318-32)
• Defeated Nedovyesov in 3 sets and Kukushkin in 5 sets to help Serbia beat Kazakhstan 3-2 in Davis Cup 1R

Tsonga 2016 FastFacts
SF: Auckland (l. to Bautista Agut); QF: Buenos Aires (l. to Almagro)
YTD W-L: 10-4 (8-2 on hard)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 12
Date of Birth: April 17, 1985
Emirates ATP Ranking: 9
Indian Wells W-L (Best Result): 13-7 (2013, 2016 Quarter-finalist)

• 2016 Indian Wells: Did not face a BP in 63 64 win over [31] Querrey in 3R and 63 62 win over [11] Thiem in 4R
• Tournament Note: From 1992 to 2015, no Frenchman reached SF (Forget lost 1991 final to Courier 76 in 5th)
• Reached 2nd week of Australian Open for 7th time (l. to No. 7 Nishikori in 4R)
• Clinched France’s Davis Cup 1R win over Canada in doubles w/Gasquet (d. Bester/Pospisil)
• Squandered 1 MP in Auckland SF loss to eventual champion Bautista Agut
• Fell to World No. 338 Monteiro in Rio de Janeiro 1R – worst loss by ranking for a Top 10 player since No. 388 Olivetti beat No. 8 Fish at 2012 Marseille

FEDEX ATP HEAD 2 HEADS: Doubles Semi-final

[6] Vasek Pospisil (CAN)/Jack Sock (USA) vs Feliciano Lopez (ESP)/Marc Lopez (ESP) First Meeting

• Pospisil/Sock defeated Qureshi/Simon 60 75 in 1R, Bellucci/Pella 63 67(6) 10-5 in 2R and Kohlschreiber/Thiem 75 63 in QF
• Canadian and American are 44-15 on ATP World Tour (5-1 in 2016)
• Reigning ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells champions (d. Bryan/Bryan in QF and Bolelli/Fognini in final)
• Became 1st duo since Hewitt/Mirnyi at 2000 US Open to capture Grand Slam title in team debut at 2014 Wimbledon (d. Bryan/Bryan 75 in 5th)
• Also won titles at 2014 Atlanta (d. Johnson/Querrey) and 2015 Beijing (d. Nestor/Roger-Vasselin)
• FedEx ATP H2H: Sock defeated Pospisil in their lone singles meeting 62 64 in 2016 Auckland 2R
• World No. 17 Pospisil is 8-1 lifetime at Indian Wells and World No. 14 Sock is 8-0
• Lopez/Lopez defeated [5] Bopanna/Mergea 26 64 10-4 in 1R, Isner/Raonic 64 75 in 2R and [4] J. Murray/Soares 67(2) 76(2) 10-8
• Spaniards (no relation) are 16-8 on ATP World Tour (11-3 in 2016)
• Champions at 2016 Doha (d. J. Murray/Soares in SF, Peya/Petzschner in final)
• Runners-up at 2004 Valencia (l. to Etlis/Rodriguez) and 2016 Dubai (l. to Bolelli/Seppi after holding 2 MPs)
• Debuted at 2001 São Paulo, BRA Challenger, losing to del Rio/Hood in 1R
• World No. 38 F. Lopez is 7-10 lifetime at Indian Wells and World No. 29 M. Lopez is 19-4, winning titles w/Nadal in 2010 (d. Nestor/Zimonjic) and 2012 (d. Isner/Querrey)