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 The 24-year-old Canadian's first win over Nadal in six meetings
earned him a place in Saturday's semi-finals where he will face
Roger Federer, who cruised through the last eight with a ruthless
6-4 6-0 demolition of Czech Tomas Berdych.
World number one Novak Djokovic will face fourth-seeded Scot Andy
Murray in Saturday's other semi in a re-match of this year's
Australian Open final, won by the Serb in four sets.
"I feel obviously all sorts of good," said sixth seed Raonic, who
blasted 19 aces past Nadal before sealing victory in just under
three hours.
"There was a lot of up and down through that match, and all I could
ask of myself was just keep competing and hope to find a way. I got
fortunate a few times and it worked out."
Nadal, a three-times champion at Indian Wells, broke Raonic once to
clinch the opening set in 37 minutes and had further break point
opportunities in the first, fifth and ninth games of the second --
all five of them saved by the Canadian.
The set went to a nerve-jangling tiebreak where Nadal squandered
three match points before Raonic, playing more aggressively, finally
squared the match at his third attempt when the Spaniard netted a
forehand.
Both players saved further break points in the third set before
Raonic broke Nadal in the 11th game when the Spaniard hit a backhand
long and the Canadian advanced into the last four by comfortably
holding in the 12th.
"I had more opportunities than him in the first (set), in the second
and in the third too," said Nadal, who had won all eight of his
previous quarter-final matches at Indian Wells. "I had a lot of
chances to win.
"But today I lost against a great opponent who was fighting for
every ball with very positive attitude."
SEEKING FIFTH TITLE
Federer, bidding for a record fifth title at the ATP Masters 1000
event, broke Berdych once in the first set and three times in the
second to advance after just 68 minutes on court at a sun-bathed
Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
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"I was really able to put the pressure on Tomas from the baseline,"
the Swiss world number two said after hitting 21 winners while
improving his career record against the Czech to 13-6.
"I felt like I was hitting the ball well but also playing the right
way. I had the upper hand and he didn't have his best serving day
... I was able to control the match."
Ninth-seeded Berdych, whose best run at Indian Wells came in 2013
when he lost to Nadal in the semi-finals, served five double faults
and never earned a single break point against the Swiss.
Federer broke Berdych in the seventh game of the match, when the
Czech netted a backhand, before taking the opening set in 40
minutes.
The Swiss master dominated the second set with superb all-round
tennis against an increasingly error-prone Berdych, who lost serve
in the first and third games to go 0-3 down.
Federer again broke the Czech in the fifth, celebrating with a fist
pump after crunching a forehand winner down the line, before serving
out to book his place in the last four.
(Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Gene
Cherry/Peter Rutherford)
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