For Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, it was a happy anniversary.
For Stan Wawrinka, it was not a happy birthday.
Federer and Nadal — playing back-to-back on stadium court on the 13th anniversary of their very first match — both advanced Tuesday to the quarterfinals of the Miami Open, surviving strong tests in both cases.
Wawrinka wasn't as fortunate, the No 1 seed getting bounced on his 32nd birthday by teenager Alexander Zverev.
"Every match is going to be tough from now on," said second-seeded Kei Nishikori, who also survived a three-setter to reach the quarters.
That seems to already be holding true.
The fourth-seeded Federer outlasted No 14 Roberto Bautista Agut 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4), the fifth-seeded Nadal got past Nicolas Marut 6-4, 7-6 (4), and Nishikori - a finalist at Key Biscayne a year ago - rallied from a break down in the final set to beat Federico Delbonis 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.
Federer is 16-1 this year, matching his career-best record at this point in a season. "Is it the best I've ever playedIJ" Federer said. "For me, it's hard to say yes to that question. ... Maybe on the offensive side, overall, I think I'm doing definitely a few things better than I ever have. I do feel that I have improved. The game has evolved, I had to adjust, but overall I do believe I'm probably a better player than I was 10 years ago."
Zverev, who turns 20 next month, downed Wawrinka 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, and showed no ill effects by playing just 24 hours after winning a three-setter over John Isner that went entirely to tiebreakers. "I played well in the second and third," Zverev said. "I turned it around a little bit. I had to be aggressive."
Nadal won the only break point played in his match against Marut, and it was enough. He was an up-and-coming 17-year-old when he faced Federer at what was then called the NASDAQ-100 Open in 2004, and surprised many with a straight-set win that day. "It's a good start of the year, I think, for both of us," Nadal said. "Obviously, it's a little bit better for him, but at the same time I'm happy with the way that I am playing, happy with the way that I started the year after a tough second part of the year last year with injuries.
Karolina Pliskova, who has never found Miami exactly to her liking, got into the women's semifinals with a 6-3, 6-4 win over 26th-seeded Mirjana lucic-Baroni. It's the first time Pliskova has made the semifinals at Key Biscayne.
Pliskova improved to 23-3 this year, the best record on the women's tour. She'll next face 12th-seeded Caroline Wozniacki, a 6-4, 6-3 winner over unseeded lucie Safarova.
"I'm really enjoying my tennis this year ... winning almost every match so far," said Pliskova.