Federer to face Djokovic in semi-final

Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic will meet in the semi-finals of the BNP Paribas Open after both secured straight-sets victories in their quarter-finals on Friday.

Third seed Djokovic opened proceedings at Indian Wells with a 6-2 6-4 triumph over 18th-seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet.

Second seed Roger Federer later took to the court and saw off fellow Swiss and good friend Stanislas Wawrinka, the 12th seed, 6-3 6-4.

Djokovic lost his first service game but converted his fourth break point in a 20-point third game to spark a six-game winning streak.

The second set followed a similar pattern, with Gasquet seeing an early break wiped out as the Serbian extended his winning run to 18 matches.

"I try to get out of trouble, that's for sure," Djokovic said after his 95-minute win. "He started off really well both sets. I was behind, a break down, but I managed to make the crucial break and come back to the match.

"I felt the ball well, especially on the return games. First serve percentage was quite a little bit low, and then towards the end of the match was better."

Djokovic has beaten Federer in both of their meetings this year on his way to the Australian Open and Dubai titles, and will take over from the three-time Indian Wells champion as world number two if he is successful again on Saturday.

Federer looked in good nick in his victory over Wawrinka, though, taking just 64 minutes to secure his place in the last four.

He saved two break points in the opening game but was untroubled for the remainder of the match, with one break of serve in each set proving sufficient.

In the first women's semi-final, 15th seed Marion Bartoli powered past 23rd seed Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium 6-1 6-3.

Bartoli cruised through the first set and, after the pair traded breaks early in the second, seized the initiative to complete the victory and become the first Frenchwoman ever to reach the final in Indian Wells.

"At the end I got a little tight, but it happens," said Bartoli.

"I'm so happy to be in the final here at Indian Wells. It's one of my favourite stops on the road and I'm looking forward to playing the final Sunday."

After their quarter-final, Federer and Wawrinka teamed up to beat Rafael Nadal and Marc Lopez 7-5 6-3 in the semi-finals of the men's doubles in front of a packed house on centre court.

"It was good fun," Federer said. "I enjoyed it."

In the final match of the day at Indian Wells, world number one and top seed Caroline Wozniacki made light work of 16th seed Maria Sharapova in the second women's semi-final.

The 20-year-old Dane claimed three breaks of serve in each set to cruise past her Russian opponent 6-1 6-2 and earn herself a final date with Bartoli.

"I played very well," said Wozniacki. "It's always tough against Maria and it was very important that I kept my feet moving.

"She hits very hard and I was just trying to get into the right position every time."