Wozniacki knocked out of Indian Wells

Caroline Wozniacki became the biggest name to fall at the BNP Paribas Open when the fourth-seed was ousted 6-4 6-4 by Swiss teen Belinda Bencic.

Second-seed Maria Sharapova won an absorbing baseline battle with long-time rival Victoria Azarenka 6-4, 6-3 in just under two hours while sixth-seed Eugenie Bouchard demolished American CoCo Vandeweghe 6-3, 6-2.

Wozniacki, champion at Indian Wells in 2011, had overwhelmed Bencic 6-0, 6-0 in their only previous meeting in Istanbul last year but it was a very different story at the California desert venue as the Dane struggled for consistency.

“Honestly, it was two completely different matches,” Wozniacki said after being broken twice in the opening set and once in the second at a sun-bathed Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

“I went out there today and I didn’t play well at all.”

In other matches, fifth-seeded Serb Ana Ivanovic lost 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 to Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia, while reigning champion Flavia Pennetta of Italy beat Australian Samantha Stosur 6-4, 6-2.

Djokovic, Murray through

In the men’s draw, world number one Novak Djokovic and fourth-seeded Andy Murray each had to contend with different degrees of adversity before they advanced to the fourth round.

Djokovic, the top seed in the elite ATP Masters 1000 event, was broken twice in his opening set against Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas before advancing 7-5, 6-3 in an evening match lasting just under an hour and a half.

Scottish world number four Murray recovered from a surprising second-set lapse during the searing heat of the afternoon at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden to beat German Phillipp Kohlschreiber 6-1, 3-6, 6-1.

However, Spanish eighth seed David Ferrer made an early exit, ousted 7-5, 6-4 by Australian Bernard Tomic in the third round.