Indian Wells, USA, 12 March 2013 | tennis.com.au

Lleyton Hewitt’s exciting run at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells has come to an end after he was knocked out in the third round by 18th seed Stanislas Wawrinka.

The Australian went down 6-4 7-5 in a night match on Stadium 1 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, which finished at almost 11pm on Monday night (US Pacific Coast time).

Hewitt had defeated big men Lukas Rosol and No.15 seed John Isner on his way to the last 32 in the Californian desert, but found the Swiss powerhouse a hurdle too high to clear.

Wawrinka was superior on serve throughout the match and also made inroads on the 32-year-old’s delivery, creating seven break point chances and converting three.

Wawrinka moves into a fourth round match-up against compatriot and 17-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer, the second seed this year in Indian Wells.