Indian Wells : Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, Halep through

Serena Williams returns to Yulia Putinseva of Kazakhstan in their women’s singles match on Sunday. Serena won 7-6 (7/2), 6-0. (Photo: AFP)

World number ones Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams had to dig deep at Indian Wells on Sunday to fend off a pair of unheralded but spirited opponents.

Serena stepped up her bid for her first Indian Wells title in 15 years with a straight-set 7-6 (7/2), 6-0 victory over 56th-ranked Yulia Putintseva.

Djokovic dropped the first set before coming from behind to book his third-round spot in the ATP and WTA hardcourt tournament with a 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory over 149th-ranked qualifier Bjorn Fratangelo.

In the evening session, reigning champion Simona Halep steamrolled Ekaterina Makarova 6-2, 6-4 to get her title defence off to a flying start.

The two-time Indian Wells champion Serena had a difficult time with Putintseva in the opening set but then steamrolled through the second to wrap up the win in one hour, 15 minutes.

The defending two-time men’s champ Djokovic has now won 12 consecutive matches in Indian Wells and is seeking to become the first player in tournament history to claim five titles.

Japanese star Kei Nishikori eased into the third round with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin.

The 26-year-old Nishikori, seeded fifth in his eighth appearance in Indian Wells, has never made it past the fourth round in the California desert.