INDIAN WELLS (California), March 19: Russia’s Nikolay Davydenko became the highest seed to exit the Pacific Life Open but three-time champion Roger Federer barely broke sweat in reaching the fourth round on Tuesday.

Davydenko, the fourth seed and world No 4, was swept aside by American Mardy Fish 6-3, 6-2 in an evening match lasting 75 minutes on the showpiece Stadium Court.

The 98th-ranked Fish, who lost to the Russian in their only previous career meeting, will next meet twice winner Lleyton Hewitt of Australia who recovered from a slow start to beat Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny 7-5, 6-4.Crowd favourite and top seed Federer, back in action at Indian Wells after recovering from illness, outclassed Mahut in only 53 minutes.

The Swiss world No 1 set up a fourth-round clash with big-serving Croat Ivan Ljubicic who upset 15th-seeded Tommy Robredo 6-3, 6-4.

The 26-year-old Federer unleashed nine aces and winning 23 out of 24 points on his first serve.

Federer, who had competed in only two tournaments this season after succumbing to glandular fever, broke Mahut twice to sweep through the opening set.

The Swiss again broke the Frenchman in the third, fifth and seventh games of the second to ease into the fourth round.

A protracted rally in the fifth game underlined the near-impossible task facing Mahut when Federer, at full stretch on his forehand, delivered a pinpoint topspin lob to win the point.

In other matches on Tuesday, 11th-seeded Briton Andy Murray beat Croat Ivo Karlovic 7-6, 6-7, 6-3 and will next face Germany’s Tommy Haas, who defeated Spaniard Fernando Verdasco 7-6, 4-6, 6-1.

Seventh-seeded David Nalbandian of Argentina scraped past Czech Radek Stepanek 7-6, 0-6, 7-6 while Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain edged out Croat Mario Ancic 7-5, 4-6, 7-6.

Meanwhile, Australian Open champion Maria Sharapova, holder Daniela Hantuchova and second seed Svetlana Kuznetsova reached the women’s singles quarter-finals in contrasting styles.

Fourth seed Sharapova, winner at Indian Wells Tennis Garden in 2006, maintained her perfect start to the season but had to work hard to beat Ukrainian Alona Bondarenko 6-2, 5-7, 6-4.

Twice champion Hantuchova beat India’s Sania Mirza 6-1, 7-6 in the first match of the day before Kuznetsova swept past 17-year-old Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark 6-2, 6-3.

Sharapova, who won her third Grand Slam crown at the Australian Open in January before claiming her 18th WTA title in Doha, was relieved to win her 17th successive match this year.

The 20-year-old world No 5 Russian came back from an error-prone second set to break Bondarenko in the ninth game of the third before sealing victory in just under three hours.

Fifth seeded Hantuchova held off a strong fightback by Sania to wrap up victory in one hour, 55 minutes and set up a quarter-final with Sharapova.

The 24-year-old, who claimed her first WTA career title at Indian Wells in 2002, broke Sania in the second and fourth games to storm through the opening set in 39 minutes.

After trading an early service break in the second set, the elegant Slovakian broke again in the 11th game, when her opponent double-faulted, to lead 6-5.

Although Hantuchova then lost her own serve, she clinched the tiebreak 7-4, sealing victory with a crunching backhand down the line.

In other matches, top-seeded Serb Ana Ivanovic came from a set down to beat Italy’s Francesca Schiavone 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 and will next meet Russian Vera Zvonareva, a 6-7, 6-0, 6-4 winner over Australia’s Casey Dell’Acqua.

Third-seeded Serb Jelena Jankovic brushed aside Spaniard Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-3, 6-3 to set up a quarter-final clash with twice former champion American Lindsay Davenport, who upset sixth seed Marion Bartoli of France 6-2, 7-5.

Tuesday’s results (prefix number denotes seeding):

Men’s singles: