Top seed Roger Federer has advanced to the fourth round of the Sony Ericsson Open despite completing just one match after Sweden's Robin Soderling withdrew with an illness.
Surprisingly still in search of his first title of the season, Federer was leading 6-4 3-0 when play was stopped.
One of the top 32 players to receive a bye in the first round, Federer breezed past Frenchman Gael Monfils in the second round with a 6-3 6-4 victory before the walkover with Soderling.
But the Swiss world number one now hopes to find some momentum.
‘I think you're always most vulnerable as a high seed, and then once you get on the roll you start playing better and better,’ Federer said.
‘That's really what I'm hoping for now (in the) next couple of rounds. The draw is not too bad. It could have been (Lleyton) Hewitt or (Tommy) Robredo, and now all of a sudden it's two unseeded players.’
Next up for the world's top-ranked player will be Argentina's Jose Acasuso, a 6-4 6-4 winner over Dudi Sela of Israel on Monday. Sela was coming off a straight-sets upset of 14th seed Robredo on Saturday while Acasuso defeated Hewitt in the second round.
Fourth seed Nikolay Davydenko overcame a slow start to defeat Italian Simone Bolelli 6-7 (5/7) 7-5 6-1 in two hours 38 minutes.
World number four Davydenko never has advanced beyond the round of 16 in six previous trips to this hardcourt event. But courtesy of Monday's hard-fought win, the Russian will take on Mario Ancic, who upset Juan Monaco 7-6 (7/5) 4-6 6-1.
Andy Roddick also notched a spot in the fourth round with a 7-6 (7/4) 6-4 victory over Ivo Minar of the Czech Republic. The American fired ten aces and won 71% of the total points on his serve.
In other action among seeded players, 12th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga fell to fellow Frenchman Julien Benneteau 6-3 6-3.
A surprise finalist at the Australian Open, Tsonga had won the previous match-up with Benneteau in first round at Wimbledon last year.
Mikhail Youzhny of Russia battled past Nicolas Almagro of Spain 7-6 (7/4) 3-6 7-6 (10-8).
The next opponent for Youzhny will be Serbia's Janko Tipsarevich, a 6-4 6-4 winner over Sweden's Thomas Johansson.
