With on-court temperatures touching 120 degrees, Rafael Nadal stayed cool in a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Guido Pella in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open on Sunday at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

Pella got off to a hot start, breaking Nadal in the third game of their first meeting. But the fifth-seeded Spaniard settled in and reeled off six of the next seven games to clinch the opener and break at the start of the second set. Pella halted Nadal’s momentum by canceling out the break in the second game, but the Spaniard regained his lead in the fifth game and would win the last five games as he closed out victory in one hour and 21 minutes.

“It was a solid match,” said Nadal. “It was a first-round match where I didn’t try to do amazing things. I tried to play solid. I tried to find the rhythm and I think I did. For moments I played well, for moments I played a little bit less well. The important thing is I won and I won in straight sets. I had some good feelings for a lot of moments. In general terms, I think I played a solid match.

“I adapt myself better to the dry heat than to the humid heat. I think it’s easier for the players to resist that conditions than when it’s very, very humid. But it’s true that today was hot and there was a lot of sun out there. It was difficult to control the ball. The ball was flying a lot.”

Nadal is coming off a runner-up showing in Acapulco (l. to Querrey), which marked his first outing since an epic five-set final with Roger Federer at the Australian Open. The Mallorcan has won three of his 28 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles in the desert, compiling a 49-9 tournament record. He lifted the trophy in 2007, 2009 and 2013.

The 30-year-old Nadal finds himself in the ‘group of death’ section of the draw, with the prospect of facing Federer again in the fourth round. For now, the left-hander advances to a meeting with either Pierre-Hugues Herbert or Fernando Verdasco.

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Grigor Dimitrov has been one of the hot players at the start of the year and he showed no sign of letting up as he powered through his second-round match with a 6-4, 6-0 victory over Mikhail Youzhny in 70 minutes.

The Bulgarian stated his intent in January by winning the title in Brisbane before reaching his second Grand Slam semifinal at the Australian Open. He then won his hometown title in Sofia the following week.

The 25 year old, who works with Dani Vallverdu, will look to get past the third round in the desert for the first time when he faces either Jack Sock or Henri Laaksonen.

• Three of the biggest superstars on the ATP World Tour are on Sunday’s schedule at the BNP Paribas Open with No. 2 seed/five-time champion Novak Djokovic, three-time winner/No. 5 seed Rafael Nadal and four-time title holder/No. 9 seed Roger Federer. They have won 12 of the last 13 BNP Paribas Open titles. But this year the trio are in the bottom quarter of the draw and only one of the former champions could reach the semi-finals.

• The trio have combined to win 82 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles and 44 Grand Slam championships while finishing No. 1 in 12 of the last 13 years (except 2016). Overall, they have combined to capture 225 singles titles.

• In the first match on Stadium 1, British No. 2 Daniel Evans and No. 4 seed Kei Nishikori meet for the third time (tied 1-1). Just two and a-half months into 2017, Evans has already surpassed last year’s match wins total (9) with a 10-4 record. He is also trying to earn his third Top 10 win of the season. He is ranked a career-high No. 41. Nishikori reached the quarter-finals here last season and the 27-year-old Japanese star has finished in the Top 10 the past three years.

• In the next match on, Nadal takes on Argentine left-hander Guido Pella for the first time. Nadal is coming off a runner-up in Acapulco (l. to Querrey) on March 4 and he’s trying to capture his first title on hard courts since 2014 Doha. He’s played in 30 hard court tournaments since then. Pella is looking to reach the 3R for the second straight year. He is 1-4 lifetime against Top 10 foes.

• In the final day session match, British No.3 Kyle Edmund squares off with Djokovic, who won both previous meetings last year in straight sets (ATP Masters 1000 Miami, US Open). Djokovic enters the first ATP Masters 1000 tournament of the season with five titles and a 17-match winning streak at Indian Wells. His last loss came in the 2013 semi-finals to Juan Martin del Potro, a possible 3R opponent. Edmund is trying to earn his first career Top 10 victory (0-8).

• In the evening session, Federer plays 36-year-old Frenchman Stephane Robert for the first time. Federer returns to Indian Wells after missing last year with a knee injury. The Swiss recovered from his knee injury and knocked off Nadal in the Australian Open final to became the oldest Grand Slam champion (35) since Ken Rosewall at the 1972 Australian Open and the lowest-ranked major champion (No. 17) since Gaston Gaudio at 2004 Roland Garros. Robert is 1-8 against Top 10 foes.

• On Stadium 2, No. 12 seed Grigor Dimitrov (vs. Mikhail Youzhny) is the first men’s match on followed by No. 31 del Potro (vs. Federico Delbonis) and No. 17/top American Jack Sock (vs. Henri Laaksonen).

On Stadium 3, No. 18 seed and #NextGenATP star Alexander Zverev (vs.Facundo Bagnis) is the first match on. Americans No. 23 seed Sam Querrey (vs. Donald Young) are third on, followed by No. 24 Steve Johnson (vs. Kevin Anderson) and No. 6 Marin Cilic (vs. Taylor Fritz).

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Watch your favourite players work on their games by taking in a live stream at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.

Andy Murray was left to ponder a shocking loss against qualifier Vasek Pospisil on Saturday at the BNP Paribas Open, but insists he doesn’t have a serve-and-volley problem.

After Mischa Zverev used that tactic to perfection in defeating the World No. 1 last month at the Australian Open, Pospisil utilised the same strategy on Stadium 1 in Indian Wells. But while Murray had trouble with the Canadian’s charges toward the net, he said there were bigger issues that he struggled to handle throughout the match.

“I have never really practiced playing against serve-and-volleyers in my career. But when I have come up against them, it’s normally been a game style I have enjoyed playing against,” said Murray. “Today it wasn’t so much the serve/volley that was the problem. It was my own serve, not getting enough opportunities when he was serving. I think that was more the problem tonight.”

The Indian Wells crowd naturally began to rally behind the qualifier in the second set as they sensed the potential for a major upset. The World No. 1 said the largely pro-Pospisil crowd didn’t rattle him and that he was appreciative they cheered for good tennis from both players.

“It was a really good atmosphere at the end. It was pretty much a full crowd after the first 15, 20 minutes, so it was a nice atmosphere,” said Murray. “Especially the way he was playing, I think the crowds like him. The guy was being aggressive and he came out with some fantastic shots as well. So they really got into it.”

Although serve-and-volley players are less common now in singles than in previous generations, Murray said the Canadian proved that the tactic isn’t a dying art form.

I don’t think loads of players are taught it now growing up. It’s not something that’s practiced a lot. But if there are guys that do it from a young age, it’s definitely a game style that can be successful,” said Murray. “Obviously in certain conditions or court surfaces it’s easier to do it, like on grass and quicker hard courts. But there is no reason why, if you play that game style well, you can’t be effective doing it at the top of the game.”

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The BNP Paribas Open has been named the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Tournament of the Year for the third consecutive season.  The honour is part of the 2016 ATP World Tour Awards presented by Moët & Chandon. 

Linda Clark, ATP Vice President – Tournament Relations, Americas, presented tournament director Tommy Haas with the trophy on Saturday in an on-court ceremony following Fabio Fognini defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

“As a player, I can understand why this event has been named ‘Tournament of the Year’ on the ATP World Tour for the third consecutive year,” said Haas. “Now as a member of the Indian Wells team, I have even more respect for the countless hours of planning and dedication that the entire staff contributes to make the BNP Paribas Open one of the best sporting events in the world.”

The tournament received the distinction for the first time in 2014, following the debut of its state-of-the-art Stadium 2, additional practice courts and a new shade structure. Following the 2016 event, numerous improvements have been made to Stadium 1, including upgrading, expanding and adding concessions and suites for the 2017 tournament.

The 2017 BNP Paribas Open concludes on 19 March.