INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Taylor Fritz defeated Spanish qualifier Jaume Munar 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (2) on Tuesday in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open, making him one of six American men still alive in the desert tournament.
Fritz reached the semifinals at Indian Wells last year, his career-best result in an ATP Masters 1000 event. The son of former WTA Tour pro Kathy May has been on an upward trajectory since, reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open in January — his best showing yet in a Grand Slam event.
John Isner beat 14th-seeded Diego Schwartzman, 7-5, 6-3, to reach the fourth round. The 6-foot-11 American capitalized on his 16-inch height advantage, blasting 13 aces and frustrating Schwartzman with clever drop shots. Isner didn’t even need any tiebreakers; 18 of his 30 sets played this year have ended in tiebreakers.
Another American, Tommy Paul, lost to 29th-seeded Alex De Minaur, 7-6 (2), 6-4.
Americans Frances Tiafoe and Steve Johnson were to play night matches.
In women’s fourth-round action, Madison Keys beat British qualifier Harriet Dart, 6-1, 6-4. Keys is the last American woman still in the tournament.
No. 3 seed Iga Swiatek outlasted three-time major champion and former No. 1 player Angelique Kerber, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.
“I felt like she wanted to use her experience and kind of trick me,” Swiatek said. “I like that because it’s like a new experience for me. I’m pretty proud of myself that I could win against such a smart player.”
Simona Halep, the 2015 champion, beat Sorana Cirstea 6-1, 6-4. The Romanians played for the first time in 12 years and have split their four meetings.
“I feel like I played perfect in the first set,” Halep said. “The second set was a little bit tougher because I started to miss. She started to play a little bit better. But I think it’s a strong victory for me.”
Petra Martic of Croatia beat No. 28 Liudmilla Samsonova, 7-6 (6), 6-4. No. 6 Maria Sakkari advanced when qualifier Daria Saville retired trailing 4-1 because of a left thigh injury.