Sixth seed Simona Halep edges out Eugenie Bouchard in Indian Wells

Simona Halep recovered from a sluggish second set to beat Eugenie Bouchard in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells this afternoon.

The sixth seed from Romania won the first set in just over half an hour, racing to a 5-0 lead before closing it out 6-2.

Bouchard, of Canada, roared back in the second by winning six games in a row to take the match to a decider after being broken in the first game of the set.

In the third, the first six games went with serve before 18th seed Bouchard appeared to make the crucial breakthrough and go 4-3 up.

However, Halep broke straight back and then broke again in the 10th game to claim the match, converting her first match point at 30-40.

She will face either Casey Dellacqua or Lauren Davis in the fifth round, both of whom are unseeded.