Fernando Verdasco beats Richard Gasquet in straight sets

Fernando Verdasco has sealed his place in the quarter-finals at Indian Wells with a 7-6(5) 6-1 win over Richard Gasquet.

Both players were resilient in a gruelling first set, and needed a tie-break to separate them, but a late push by the Spaniard allowed him to take the opener.

The lengthy first set appeared to have drained the Frenchman as he struggled to match his opponent in the second.

Verdasco's serve went unchallenged, while the eighth seed made a string of unforced errors, allowing the 30-year-old to swiftly wrap the set up 6-1.

Verdasco will face either Lu Yen-Hsun or John Isner in the last eight.