Murray silences Berlocq to make it into last eight

Murray was rattled not only by the quality of his opponent’s play but also by the grunting coming from the other side of the net, eventually battling to a 7-6 (7/4) 6-4 win to reach the last eight at Indian Wells.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal both needed three sets to beat Stanislas Wawrinka and Ernests Gulbis, respectively, and set up the latest chapter in the sport’s greatest rivalry.

Murray at least got the job done in two sets, but he twice had to battle back from a break down in the first set against fired-up Berlocq.

“It was tough,’’ said Murray. “He started well and he was playing very aggressive.

“He had a lot of chances in the first set. He obviously served for it, and then the second set was kind of the other way around. I had a lot of chances, but it was still tight. All the games were pretty close, a lot of long games and longish rallies.”

Murray’s victory took him into a last-eight match with Argentinian seventh seed Del Potro, a 6-1 6-2 winner over Tommy Haas.