TOP eight hopes, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Gael Monfils are out of the 2020 ATP Indian Wells Masters fantasy tennis competition after going down in defeats against fellow top 20 players. Roberto Bautista Agut and Cristian Garin were triumphant in those Round of 16 matches, joining top five players, Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem in the quarter finals following their respective victories.

Bautista Agut got the better of Tsitsipas in a surprising straight sets win over the Greek star. The 11th seed took Tsitsipas to a first set tiebreaker and held on with some patient and calculated tennis while the fifth seed missed a couple of shots through forehand errors. Building on the momentum from the first set, Bautista Agut then took an early break and went to 4-1 up at one stage, and broke a second time in the final game to take out the match 7-6 6-2 in an hour and 40 minutes.

Garin stunned Monfils in a battle of two 2020 title-winners, with the Chilean up-and-comer having to fight from a set down to oust the exciting Frenchman. Monfils took the first set courtesy of an extra break, 6-4, but then was on the back foot from early in the second with his serve going to water and Garin takin control. A double-break to go 4-0 up and eventually salute 6-1, Garin was now in control of the match. Monfils broke back early in the third thanks to some clever shot play, but it was Garin who immediately responded with a break of his own, then broke a second time to take out the match 4-6 6-1 6-4.

It was easier going for the reigning champion, Dominic Thiem who took out 18th seed Grigor Dimitrov, 6-4 6-3 in an hour and 27 minutes. The Austrian star broke once in each set and hit 35 winners in a dazzling display to really put the Belarusian on the back foot. Needing to win the tournament in order to defend his points, Thiem is well on the way to doing do and continuing his fine form.

Meanwhile the world number two Nadal had the easiest run of all, casting aside 15th seed, Denis Shapovalov 6-2 6-2 in a 57-minute match against the 20-year-old Canadian. The Spanish star broke seven times to two throughout the match, restricting Shapovalov from getting his serve up and going, which caused all sorts of problems for him. The world number two moved through to the quarter finals to take on Garin and will be heavily fancied in that match to move through to another semi-finals.

Completing the Round of 16 tomorrow are four entertaining clashes with world number one, Novak Djokovic going up against 16th seed, Stan Wawrinka up first, followed by sixth seed Alexander Zverev taking on Canadian teenager, Felix Auger-Aliassime. In the evening, 10th seed Fabio Fognini faces seventh seed and compatriot, Matteo Berrettini, while third seed Daniil Medvedev locks horns with 12th seed Argentinian, Diego Schwartzman in the final match of the day.

ROUND OF 16 RESULTS:

[2] Rafael Nadal (ESP) defeated [15] Denis Shapovalov (CAN) 6-2 6-2
[4] Dominic Thiem (AUT) defeated [18] Grigor Dimitrov (BLR) 6-4 6-3
[11] Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) defeated [5] Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 7-6 6-2
[17] Cristian Garin (CHI) defeated [8] Gael Monfils (FRA) 4-6 6-1 6-4