Juan Martin Del Potro to Strong for Murray
Juan Martin Del Potro has overcome Britain's Andy Murray to reach the semi-finals of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
The Argentine faced just two break points and did not drop serve once as he won 6-7, (5-7) 6-3, 6-1.
Del Potro now faces Novak Djokovic in the last four after the top seed defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3, 6-1 in under an hour.
"It was a tough match,'' Murray said. "He played like someone that's won a lot of matches recently. Especially in the second and third set when the important moments came, he played well."
Murray, the number three seed, went into the contest with a 5-1 lead in matches against Del Potro but was unable to overcome his big-serving opponent in 35 degree height in California.
"It was a tough match. There was a lot of long rallies," he said. "It's very warm conditions the first set or two, and sometimes on the serve if your legs are just a little bit tired you can miss serves. Just timing might go a little bit off and you're not quite getting up to them. That's maybe what happened."
Del Potro first set reverse was the first he'd lost all week but he recovered well to improve upon a run that has seen him reach at least the quarter-finals in four of five events this year.