By Chris Oddo | Wednesday, March 18, 2015

 

Roger Federer exacted his revenge on Andreas Seppi, taking down the Italian in straight sets to reach the round of 16 at Indian Wells.

Photo Source: Harry How/ Getty

Beating Roger Federer once was one of the highlights of Andreas Seppi's career. Beating him twice in a row was a little bit too big of an ask.

Roger Federer moved into the round of 16 at Indian Wells after a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Seppi on Tuesday.

The Swiss maestro had his ten-match winning streak against Seppi snapped at this year's Australian Open, and Federer was happy to regain the upper hand against the Italian so soon.

“It absolutely was an opportunity right away to play him again and sort of erase it to some extent from the memory as the season moves forward,” Federer said.

Neither player had the cleanest of matches, but it was Federer who gained and kept the edge for most of the night. He broke for 5-3, and served out the first set easily in the next game.

After trading breaks in the second set, Federer claimed the decisive break in the seventh game and waltzed to victory from there, closing out the match with a rocketed forehand down the line to set up a round of 16 clash with American Jack Sock.

“I know he's got a nice serve; good forehand,” Federer said of Sock, adding: “He's clearly tough to beat, especially here in the States on the hard courts.”

Much like Nadal, Federer has expressed some dissatisfaction with the quality of the tennis balls at Indian Wells. “We both struggled with the conditions, the ball,” he said after the match on Tuesday evening. “I think it's tough to get ahold of them, you know, the right way with the right spin. Maybe as you move along in the tournament, hopefully it's going to get better for me and for any player.”

Federer is scheduled to play the fourth match in the day session on Wednesday, immediately after Rafael Nadal plays Gilles Simon.