Federer beats Anderson to reach Indian Wells semis

Roger Federer, of Switzerland, reacts after winning the first set over Kevin Anderson, of South Africa, in the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament, Thursday, March 13, 2014, in Indian Wells, Calif. AP.

INDIAN WELLS, California—Roger Federer beat Kevin Anderson 7-5, 6-1 in the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open, a tournament the Swiss star has won four times.

Anderson failed to break Federer’s serve in the match that lasted just over an hour Thursday night. He had 21 unforced errors while Federer hit 17 winners and won 79 percent of his first serve points.

Federer will next face Alexandr Dolgopolov, who beat Milos Raonic 6-3, 6-4.

On the women’s side, top-seeded Li Na beat Dominika Cibulkova 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 and advanced to a semifinal against Flavia Pennetta, who defeated Sloane Stephens 6-4, 5-7, 6-4.