Big-serving Andy Roddick crashed out of the Pacific Life Open on Sunday while second-seeded Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova advanced after a battling 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 win over Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova.
American Roddick, the sixth seed, was beaten 6-4, 6-4 by Germany's Tommy Haas in a second-round match after Kuznetsova came back from an error-prone second set to seal victory in one hour, 48 minutes.
Much smoother progress was made by Swiss world number one Roger Federer, Australian Open champion Maria Sharapova and women's title-holder Daniela Hantuchova, who all won their respective matches in straight sets.
Federer, fully recovered from a bout of mononucleosis (glandular fever), crushed Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-3, 6-2 and Sharapova maintained her perfect start to the year by sweeping past Eleni Danilidou of Greece 7-5, 6-3.
Slovakian Hantuchova, a double champion at Indian Wells, breezed through against China's Zheng Jie 6-4, 6-2 in an evening match.
World number three Kuznetsova, who lost to Hantuchova in last year's final, was relieved after booking her place in the fourth round of the women's draw at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
"I just stopped a little bit and lost my concentration," the Russian told reporters of her slump midway through the match.
"I have to figure out how to start playing better earlier after being 5-0 down in the second set. I didn't want to go to the third set 6-0 down so I changed that to give me the key to play better in the third."
Kuznetsova, a runner-up this year in Sydney and Dubai, raised her game in the third set to set up a meeting with Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki in the next round.
The 17-year-old Dane, who won the 2006 Wimbledon junior title, brushed aside Aiko Nakamura of Japan 6-0, 6-2 in 53 minutes.
WOMEN'S UPSETS
There two upsets in the women's event, American Ashley Harkleroad beating eighth-seeded Dinara Safina of Russia 7-5, 6-2 and India's Sania Mirza scraping past ninth seed Shahar Peer of Israel 6-7, 7-5, 6-3.
In the men's draw, 2003 US Open champion Roddick, a winner of two ATP titles this year, was swept aside in 85 minutes on the Stadium Court.
"Today was one of the matches where I won the majority of the important points," said Haas, a former world number two whose career has featured a series of injuries and surgeries.
"When I broke him a couple times today, I really played some great points, backhand and forehand passing shots and forehand lobs. And that was really the only difference today."
The 29-year-old Haas will next meet 30th-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, who beat Victor Hanescu of Romania 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
In other men's matches, 11th-seeded Briton Andy Murray came from a set down to beat Austria's Juergen Melzer 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 and 12th-seeded Fernando Gonzalez of Chile was upset 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 by Croatian wildcard Mario Ancic.
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