Sixth-seeded Argentine Juan Martin del Potro rose to the round of 16 of the Indian Wells Masters tennis tournament after eliminating Spanish star David Ferrer 6-4, 7-6 (3).

Del Potro, finalist of the 2013 Indian Wells Masters, won against his Spanish rival in a match that lasted one hour and 46 minutes on Tuesday, reports Efe news agency.

The Argentine tennis player, who reached the 2018 ASB Classic final in Auckland and won the 2018 Acapulco Open, defeated Ferrer for the seventh time out of the 13 occasions he has played against him in his career.

Del Potro won the most recent four matches, including the two played this year.

In the round of 16, the sixth-seeded player will start off with a match against his compatriot Leonardo Mayer, who beat Japanese Taro Daniel in the previous round of 32.