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Indian Wells - Seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams battled back from a break down in the final set to beat Chinese qualifier Peng Shuai and reach the quarter-finals at Indian Wells on Tuesday.
Williams advanced 3-6, 6-1, 6-3 and will play Russia's Elena Vesnina who shocked Germany's Angelique Kerber - the woman who will supplant Serena Williams atop the world rankings next Monday.
Eighth-seeded Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova sped past Caroline Garcia 6-1, 6-4 to lead the way into the quarters.
Kuznetsova is in the last eight in the California desert for the first time since reaching back-to-back finals in 2007 and 2008.
The 31-year-old Russian, owner of two Grand Slam singles titles, enjoyed resurgence in 2016, winning two titles and upsetting world number one Serena Williams in Miami as she returned to the top 10 in the world for the first time since 2010.
"I just fell in love with the game again," said Kuznetsova, who next faces compatriot Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who toppled fifth-seeded Slovak Dominika Cibulkova 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.
Kuznetsova has won five of eight career clashes with Pavlyuchenkova, but Pavlyuchenkova has won their most recent meetings, at Sydney and Melbourne this year.
Pavlyuchenkova belted 35 winners as she kept the normally aggressive Cibulkova in check, avenging a three-set loss to the Slovak in Doha.
"I always like to get revenges," Pavlyuchenkova said.
"The key was to be aggressive, which is my game, but at the same time find the balance between being aggressive and not giving her a lot of easy shots, easy points, because she's a great fighter, and she's always there.
"I know when she's down in the score, she's going for the shots. I was trying to balance all that and mixing my serve, as well."
Third-seeded Czech Karolina Pliskova booked her quarter-final berth with an abbreviated appearance under the hot desert sun.
She was leading Timea Bacsinszky 5-1 when the Swiss player retired with a left wrist injury.
Pliskova next faces either seventh-seeded French Open champion Garbine Muguruza or 10th-seeded Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, winner of titles in Taiwan and Dubai already this year.
Results on Tuesday in the BNP Paribas Open ATP Masters/WTA tournament in Indian Wells, California (x denotes seeded player):
Men
Third round
Malek Jaziri (TUN) bt Taylor Fritz (USA) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
Jack Sock (USA x17) bt Grigor Dimitrov (BUL x12) 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (9/7)
Donald Young (USA) bt Lucas Pouille (FRA x14) 6-4, 1-6, 6-3
Kei Nishikori (JPN x4) bt Gilles Muller (LUX x25) 6-2, 6-2
Rafael Nadal (ESP x5) bt Fernando Verdasco (ESP x26) 6-3, 7-5
Roger Federer (SUI x9) bt Steve Johnson (USA x24) 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/4)
Nick Kyrgios (AUS x15) bt Alexander Zverev (GER x18) 6-3, 6-4
Novak Djokovic (SRB) bt Juan Martin del Potro (ARG) 7-5, 4-6, 6-1
Women
Fourth round
Karolína Plískova (CZE x3) bt Timea Bacsinszky (SUI x15) 5-1 retired
Garbine Muguruza (ESP) bt Elina Svitolina (UKR) 7-6 (7/5), 1-6, 6-0
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS x19) bt Dominika Cibulkova (SVK x5) 6-4, 3-6, 6-2
Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS x8) bt Caroline Garcia (FRA x21) 6-1, 6-4
Caroline Wozniacki (DEN x13) bt Madison Keys (USA X9) 6-4, 6-4
Kristina Mladenovic (FRA x28) bt Lauren Davis (USA) 6-3, 6-3
Venus Williams (USA x12) bt Peng Shuai (CHN) 3-6, 6-1, 6-3
Elena Vesnina (RUS x14) bt Angelique Kerber (GER x2) 6-3, 6-3
