Defending champion Rafael Nadal [Images] came from a set down and 5-2 behind in the third to scrape past Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-7, 7-6, 7-5 in the Pacific Life Open fourth round on Wednesday.

In a repeat of this year's Australian Open semi-final in which Tsonga upset the Spaniard, Nadal gained revenge by winning a fluctuating encounter in just over three hours.

"A victory like this is always special and it gives me confidence," second seed Nadal told reporters after dropping his first set of the tournament. "I played better today than in Australia, but the conditions are better here for me.

"I played a comfortable match because I didn't have too many mistakes," added the Spaniard, who beat Djokovic in last year's final.

The Spaniard won the last five games as Tsonga's high-risk strategy ultimately backfired and he will next meet American James Blake who eased past another Frenchman, Richard Gasquet 6-4, 6-2.

Smooth progress was also made by three-times champion Roger Federer [Images] and third-seeded Serb Novak Djokovic, Federer outplaying Croat Ivan Ljubicic 6-3, 6-4 after Djokovic had earlier crushed Argentina's Guillermo Canas 6-2, 6-3.

On a sun-drenched afternoon at Indian Wells Tennis Garden, Nadal and Tsonga split the first two sets on tiebreaks.

They both held serve in the third until the sixth game when the long-haired Spaniard, who had controlled a protracted rally, over-hit a forehand to be broken and trail 4-2.

Tsonga appeared to be in control when leading 5-3 and serving for the match but he was broken by Nadal in an erratic game that ended when an explosive forehand flew wide.

The Frenchman was again broken in the 11th, double-faulting before hitting another forehand long for the Spaniard to go 6-5 up.

OVERHEAD SMASH

Urged on by the crowd, Nadal served out to seal victory, clinching the final point with a smash.

The aggressive Tsonga, nicknamed Ali for his resemblance to the former world heavyweight boxing champion, ended the match with an overall tally of 47 winners and 56 unforced errors.

"Today it was more difficult for me because my game in the back was not very good and my backhand was very difficult to play," the Frenchman said.

"If I had played like the last time [in Australia], I would have won in two sets for sure."

Australian Open champion Djokovic was delighted to wrap up his match in two sets against the player who stunned Federer in the second round last year.

"I think the characteristic of the top players is to play better and better, match after match, and I think I'm doing that," the world number three said.

"I'm very happy to finish today's match in straight sets, knowing that Guillermo is a very tough opponent."

Germany's [Images] Tommy Haas came from a set down to upset 11th-seeded Briton Andy Murray 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 and Argentina's David Nalbandian, the seventh seed, brushed aside Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-2, 6-2.

Twice champion Lleyton Hewitt [Images] was knocked out by American Mardy Fish [Images], who beat the Australian for the first time 7-5, 3-6, 7-6, and Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka edged past South Korea's Lee Hyung-taik 6-1, 5-7, 6-4.

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