Carlos Alcaraz kept his Indian Wells "three-peat" campaign on track with a pristine 6-2, 6-4 win against Denis Shapovalov in the third round Monday, as a crowd of Americans fed off the home fans to reach the final 16.
Alcaraz, the No. 2 seed, won the first five games, sending over 10 winners in the opening set alone as Shapovalov -- fresh off a confident win in Dallas -- struggled to find his usual intensity.
Alcaraz never faced a break in a nearly flawless second set and held to love in the final game, clinching the third-round match in under 90 minutes with a mighty overhead smash.
"I knew at the beginning of the match that I had to be really focused. I had to start the match really strong, knowing it was going to be a really tough battle," Alcaraz said.
The four-time major champion is aiming to become only the third man to win three straight titles at the Masters 1000 tournament after Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, who crashed out in the second round.
"I'm just really pleased about my performance today, about everything I have done," Alcaraz said. "Few things that I have to improve, but I'm really happy."
He will face Grigor Dimitrov in the round of 16 after the No. 14 seed beat Gael Monfils 7-6 (4), 4-6, 7-6 (2) in a three-hour battle that concluded just before midnight local time.
Dimitrov, who is right-handed, was up 3-1 in the third set when his forehand smashed into his left thumb, leaving it bleeding. He continued after receiving treatment but lost the next three games, before fighting back to force a tiebreak and seal the win.
Earlier Monday, Americans Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton gave the home fans plenty to cheer about, taming wind-whipped conditions in the California desert to reach the fourth round.
Fritz, the 2022 BNP Paribas Open champion and No. 3 seed, overcame a slow start to beat Chile's Alejandro Tabilo 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.
He said he expected a tough fight in the next round against Britain's Jack Draper, who dimmed the Americans' joy as he beat home hope Jenson Brooksby in straight sets.
"It's going to be a tough match. I think it's a tough draw to get him in the round of 16 as a top-four seed. He's a very good player," Fritz said. "I think he's probably better than his ranking is ... we have had some tight ones."
Shelton, 22, got the crowd on its feet as he played with power and poise to defeat Karen Khachanov 6-3, 7-5, despite dealing with blisters on his hand.
Down a break in the second set, Shelton won the final four games of the match and clinched it with one of eight aces and a mighty cheer. He will play fellow American Brandon Nakashima in the round of 16.
Reuters contributed to this report.