Nadal now 17-0, No. 1 Medvedev crashes out at Indian Wells
By BETH HARRIS
AP Sports Writer
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) — Rafael Nadal is still perfect. The Spanish star defeated 27th-seeded Daniel Evans 7-5, 6-3 in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open and improved to 17-0 this year. Nadal tied Roger Federer in 2018 and Pete Sampras in 1997 for the third-best overall start to a season in the Open era that began in 1968. World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev of Russia lost to Gael Monfils 4-6, 6-3, 6-1. Medvedev needed to reach the quarterfinals in the Southern California desert to stay at the top of the rankings. He replaced Novak Djokovic as No. 1, but Djokovic will regain the top spot next week.