Fifth seed Nadal pounced on Guido Pella’s serve, breaking the Argentine five times en route to a 6-3 6-2 victory in sizzling afternoon heat on the hardcourt at Indian Wells.
On a day when fourth seed Kei Nishikori also won in straight sets, Nadal eyed a potential round-of-16 encounter with Federer in what would be a rematch of their January Australian Open final, won by the Swiss.
Nadal, Federer, Nishikori and second seed Novak Djokovic are all on the same side of the draw, which looks even more lopsided after Saturday’s elimination of top seed Andy Murray.
