Three-times champion Roger Federer barely raised a sweat in brushing aside Frenchman Nicolas Mahut 6-1 6-1 in the Pacific Life Open third round.

The Swiss world number one and top seed, back in action at Indian Wells after recovering from a viral problem, outclassed his opponent in a match lasting 53 minutes on the Stadium Court.

"I enjoy matches like this," Federer said after setting up a fourth-round clash with Croat Ivan Ljubicic who upset 15th-seeded Tommy Robredo 6-3 6-4.

"Having the sensation like I had today towards the end of the second set when you feel everything's going your way, you've got his game perfectly figured out and everything you're trying to do sort of works as well, it's just a good feeling.

"I was really happy to break that often and I had no problems whatsoever on my own serve," added the 26-year-old after unleashing nine aces and winning 23 out of 24 points on his first serve. "It was a perfect match really for me."

Federer, who had competed in only two tournaments this season after succumbing to glandular fever, broke Mahut twice to sweep through the opening set.

The Swiss again broke the Frenchman in the third, fifth and seventh games of the second to ease into the fourth round.

A protracted rally in the fifth game underlined the near-impossible task facing Mahut when Federer, at full stretch on his forehand, delivered a pinpoint topspin lob to win the point.

Champion at Indian Wells for three years in a row from 2004, Federer suffered a surprise loss in the second round last year to Argentina's Guillermo Canas.

In his abbreviated campaign this year, he lost to Serb Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open semi-finals before being beaten in the first round in Dubai by Briton Andy Murray.

Federer, however, has cruised through his first two matches this week for the loss of just seven games.

"I am overall excited being back, happy to be playing well," he said. "I feel like I did at the Australian Open after one of my first couple of matches but this time I'm more sure I'm over the sickness whereas in Australia it was really quite extreme.

"I couldn't really practise the way I wanted to before the Australian Open. This time it's very different and I'm really looking forward to the rest (of the week)."

Earlier on, seventh-seeded David Nalbandian of Argentina scraped past Czech Radek Stepanek 7-6 0-6 7-6 in a third-round match lasting two-and-a-quarter hours.

Later in the day, fourth-seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko faces American Mardy Fish and Murray, the 11th seed, meets Croat Ivo Karlovic.

Reuters