Norrie dropped the opening set before rallying to a memorable 3-6 6-4 6-1 triumph for the biggest title of his career on Sunday.
The world number 26 became the first man ranked outside the top 25 to win in the Californian desert since Ivan Ljubicic in 2010 as he moved 10th in the Race to Turin, with the ATP Finals taking place next month.
"It means so much to me, my biggest title. I'm so happy. I can't even describe it right now," 21st seed Norrie said in his on-court interview. "It was a strange match today but absolutely massive for me and my team.
"I can't really believe it. If you’d have told me I'd have won before the tournament started I wouldn’t have believed you, so it's amazing."
Basilashvili – the 29th seed – was down an early break at 3-1 before turning the first set on its ear by reeling off five straight games to seize control.
It was the first time Norrie had dropped an opening set at this year's tournament and it was looking ominous when the new British number one surrendered another break at 2-1 at the start of the second.
But a run of eight consecutive points fuelled Norrie, who broke to level the match against Basilashvili.
While Basilashvili had his chances, Norrie used his defensive skills to outlast the Georgian after almost two hours on court.
Norrie, who boasts a 47-20 record in 2021, added: "I've been really enjoying my tennis and been enjoying being out on court and competing in the big moments.
"I'm just really pleased with how I handled the occasion. I think I'm doing a lot better with that this year. I lost a lot of those finals, so it's nice to get the big one today."
The British 21st seed claimed his 46th win for the season, earning his sixth final appearance for the season, which is the equal most of any male player on tour, alongside Novak Djokovic.
Norrie will play Georgian 29th seed Nicoloz Basilashvili who defeated local Taylor Fritz in straight sets to reach a Masters 1000 final for the first time.
NORRIE TOPPLES TIRING DIMITROV
Norrie will also be making his maiden Masters 1000 final appearance after a 6-2 6-4 victory over 23rd seed Dimitrov in one hour and 26 minutes.
The 26-year-old Briton got ahead in both sets with an early break to set up the victory. Norrie moves ahead of Daniil Medvedev, Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas and level with Djokovic for most final appearances this season.
"I've been playing a lot of big matches this year, which has helped," Norrie said during his on-court interview. "I feel like I am used to the big moments and the big matches.
"I'm feeling more and more comfortable and I feel like I am playing on my terms in key moments."
Dimitrov, who beat top seed Daniil Medvedev in an epic fourth round comeback, appeared spent physically with 31 unforced errors compared to Norrie's 19, with the Briton only hitting 12 winners for the match.
The triumph boosts Norrie's hopes of qualifying for the ATP Finals, with victory in the decider to see him move past Jannik Sinner into 10th position and within 125 points of the last position, currently occupied by Hubert Hurkacz.
BASILASHVILI MAKES MAIDEN MASTERS 1000 FINAL
Basilashvili overcame late nerves to secure his first-ever Masters 1000 final berth with victory over 31st seed Fritz in 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 in one hour and 41 minutes.
The 29-year-old, who had never won a main draw match at Indian Wells prior to this year's event, had 26-21 winners for the match, stepping up in the key moments to claim his breakthrough spot in a decider.
"It means a lot, especially at Indian Wells," Basilashvili said during his on-court interview. "People call this the fifth grand slam so it means a lot."
The Georgian was uncompromising and committed throughout, staving off three Fritz set points in the first set, before getting the lead in a tiebreak. Basilashvili converted his first break point for the match to lead 4-2 in the second set, although he spurned three match points with missed forehands, before sealing victory.
"For me, I'm first time experiencing semi-finals, finals and quarter-finals so I'm really tight," Basilashvili said. "It's natural but I try to get rid of it as much as I can. If I focus on my game and play, I can play good tennis."
Unseeded American Paul triumphed over the German 6-2 4-6 7-6 (7-2) in two hours and 17 minutes, rallying back from a break down in the final set.
Paul hit less winners, 26-21 to Zverev but made less unforced errors 25-19, while his serve and volley game was a key feature.
"I played a really high level today," Paul said during his on-court post-game interview. "The last time I played him, I played well, I put pressure on him so I knew how i wanted to play so I came out and executed him well.
"I played well when it came down to the breaker, so I'm pretty happy with my performance."
Zverev had not played since being expelled in Acapulco after a stunning outburst where he struck his racquet on the umpire chair several times after a doubles defeat.
Ninth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime was a major casualty, going down to Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp 7-6 (7-4) 6-7 (4-7) 6-3 in three hours and 15 minutes.
The Canadian had 36-27 winners but was let down by 43-26 unforced errors, along with converting only two of his 10 break points.
Van de Zandschulp had failed to take three match points in the second set but showed composure to finish the job in the third.
Wild card Andy Murray was also eliminated in the second round, blowing three set points in the first set before going down to 31st seed Alexander Bublik 7-6 (11-9) 6-3 in two hours and one minute.
Last year's Wimbledon runner-up and Italian sixth seed Matteo Berrettini needed more than two hours to get past world number 86 Holger Rune 6-3 4-6 6-4.
Seventh seed Andrey Rublev defeated Dominik Koepfer 7-5 6-4 to extend his win streak to 10 matches, while 11th seed Hubert Hurkacz beat Oscar Otte 6-3 3-6 6-3.
Other seeds to be eliminated were 22nd seed Aslan Karatsev who went down 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 to American Steve Johnson, while 24th seed Marin Cilic lost 6-7 (7-9) 6-3 7-6 (8-6) to Miomir Kecmanovic.
Tommy Paul took down Rublev, beating the fourth seed for the first time in four meetings, while the ninth-seeded Shapovalov fell to Aslan Karatsev.
The news was not all bad for the higher seeds, though, as US Open champion Medvedev picked up his 50th win of the year.
PAUL DOWNS RUBLEV
Playing in the main draw at Indian Wells for the first time, the 24-year-old American Paul outlasted Rublev 6-4 3-6 7-5 for his second win in eight career matches against top-10 players.
Paul was on the offensive throughout the match, firing 41 winners while making 37 unforced errors, while Rublev had 23 of each.
The Russian will lament missed opportunities, as he converted just four of 14 break point chances before watching Paul break him twice in the final set to prevail.
Paul moves on to face 21st seed Cameron Norrie, who beat Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4 5-7 6-3.
MEDVEDEV NOTCHES 50TH WIN
Medvedev had to work a bit to get past 27th seed Filip Krajinovic 6-2 7-6 (7-1), improving to 38-5 on hard courts in 2021. Only Stefanos Tsitsipas (52) has more victories overall this year.
The Russian had 25 winners and 18 unforced errors while winning 70 per cent of points on his first serve.
He next faces 23rd seed Grigor Dimitrov, who downed 16th seed Reilly Opelka 6-3 6-4.
KARATSEV UPSETS SHAPOVALOV
Playing at Indian Wells for the first time, 19th seed Karatsev upset Shapovalov 7-5 6-2, saving the only break point he faced in the match.
Casper Ruud, seeded sixth, rallied past Lloyd Harris 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 6-4 as he seeks his sixth tournament title this year.
He will face 11th seed Diego Schwartzmann, who beat 18th seed Daniel Evans 5-7 6-4 6-0 to reach the fourth round at Indian Wells for the first time.
Eighth seed Hubert Hurkacz had little trouble with Frances Tiafoe, rolling past the American in straight sets.
Jannik Sinner, the 10th seed, advanced via walkover when John Isner withdrew from the tournament to fly home and be with his wife Madison with their third child expected to arrive ahead of schedule on Tuesday.
The 19-year-old defeated Djokovic 3-6 6-3 7-5, fending off the six-time champion at the indoor event to earn a place in the top 10 for the first time, becoming the first Danish man to reach such heights.
Rune becomes the first player since the ATP rankings were launched in 1973 to have beaten five top-10 players in the same tournament, other than at the season-ending ATP Finals.
His scalps on the route to his maiden Masters 1000 final included Hubert Hurkacz, Andrey Rublev, Carlos Alcaraz – who retired when trailing in their quarter-final – and Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Now Rune can add last year's Paris champion Djokovic to that list, defeating the 21-time grand slam winner who had described his young opponent as the future of tennis on the eve of the final.
Rune becomes the youngest Paris Masters champion since an 18-year-old Boris Becker triumphed in 1986, and he did it the hard way too, coming from behind after Djokovic made the stronger start.
Djokovic broke Rune's serve in the fourth game to lead 3-1 and take an early grip, soon seeing out the opening set.
Yet Rune charged 3-0 ahead in the second and grew in confidence. There was even a Djokovic-like raised fist after getting the better of his illustrious rival in one thrilling rally
Djokovic roared ahead in the decider, but not intimidated by the occasion, Rune struck back to recover the early break.
Rune then broke to lead 6-5, as his Serbian opponent became erratic.
Nobody beats Djokovic without a fight though, and the 21-time grand slam winner had six chances to break back in the next game.
Rune survived them all and clinched victory on his second match point when Djokovic, who had been chasing a record-extending 39th ATP 1000 title, netted on the half-volley.
Addressing Rune in an on-court interview, Djokovic said: "You absolutely deserve this victory. What an amazing week you had.
"I'm not happy that you beat me, but on the other hand I'm happy for you because I like your personality, I think you're a very dedicated guy that loves tennis and puts a lot of hours into hard work.
"It's paying off for you, and I'm sure the future is bright for you and your team, so congratulations."
Rune, who is working with Serena Williams' former coach Patrick Mouratoglou, said: "This must be my favourite tournament now, I really enjoyed my time here."
World number 12 Sinner, the 11th seed in the French capital this week, suffered a straight-sets loss to Marc-Andrea Huesler, as did 15th favourite Cilic against Lorenzo Musetti.
Ninth seed Fritz downed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-5 6-2, with Cameron Norrie and Frances Tiafoe also recording straight-sets victories against Miomir Kecmanovic and Lorenzo Sonego respectively.
Victory for Fritz kept the American in the hunt for qualifying for November's ATP Finals in Turin for the first time, needing to reach the final in Paris to overtake Felix Auger-Aliassime or Andrey Rublev.
"Right now I'm just focused on kind of playing myself into the tournament," said Fritz. "I feel like any time this year that I've won a couple of matches in a tournament, then I've done well.
"So I'll just try to focus on these early rounds. Turin is still in the picture, obviously, but there's not much else I really could have done.
"Felix has played really, really well, so he deserves it, but I am going to try to steal his spot this week for sure."
Home favourite Gilles Simon awaits Fritz in the second round at the ATP 1000 event after defeating Andy Murray 4-6 7-5 6-3.
Alexander Bublik and Mikael Ymer played out another three-set battle, with the former triumphing 6-1 6-7 (2-7) 6-4.
Richard Gasquet, Yoshihito Nishioka, Karen Khachanov, Maxime Cressy, Nikoloz Basilashvili and John Isner were the other first-round winners on the opening day in France.
American Brad Gilbert, a former tour player who has worked with stars including Andre Agassi and Andy Murray, was taken aback by the tantrum from Kyrgios after a three-set defeat to Rafael Nadal in Indian Wells.
Kyrgios went to the net to shake hands with Nadal, who won 7-6 (7-0) 5-7 6-4 to reach the semi-finals.
But moments later he thrashed his racket against the ground. It bounced up high, travelling half the length of the court and causing a ball boy to take evasive action, stepping out of the way to avoid being hit and potentially hurt.
Kyrgios scornfully answered reporters' questions about the incident after the match, describing it as "a complete accident".
However, the 26-year-old unmistakably lost control in front of a full stadium and could face punishment as a result.
Gilbert wrote on Twitter: "Ridiculous to do that after such a good match, the penalty should be severe."
Gilbert questioned whether that would happen, given the ATP, which runs the men's tour, only handed a suspended eight-week ban to Alexander Zverev, plus a fine, after the world number three violently hit his racket against an umpire's chair.
"Unfortunately ATP lost the plot with Zverev situation and not a good look for kids and our sport," Gilbert wrote.
The 60-year-old Gilbert, who also coached Andy Roddick, said there was "absolutely no reason to snap on court after the match".
He added: "The stick could have easily gone anywhere like the stands and hit someone, seriously awful to see that in front of great crowd."
Kyrgios posted an exchange of text messages with the ball boy, and said he would give him a racket as a token of apology.
Saying sorry for the incident, Kyrgios wrote: "Didn't want it going anywhere near you to be honest."
Playing in his first match since a fourth-round loss at the US Open, the world number 49 eased past the man ranked one spot below him, reaching the second round at the event for the first time since 2016.
Tiafoe came up with the big shots when he needed them, converting four of five chances to break Paire's serve, as the veteran suffered 30 unforced errors to just 20 winners.
"I definitely took a long time off after the Open, the longest time I’ve taken in the middle of the season in a while, so [I was] a little rusty in the beginning and in the days leading up I wasn’t feeling great," Tiafoe said in his on-court interview.
"Happy to just get a first round under my belt. Obviously tonight was up and down, Benoit wasn’t having the best of days, but you take that."
Tiafoe will face his 32nd-seeded countryman Sebastian Korda next.
NISHIKORI GOOD AS EVER IN DECIDER
Kei Nishikori is among the most reliable players on the ATP Tour in deciding sets, and he prevailed in the third yet again with a 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-2 defeat of qualifier Joao Sousa.
Only world number one Novak Djokovic has a better winning percentage than Nishikori's 147-55 mark (72.8) in deciders, and the Japanese veteran put away Sousa with relative ease after dropping the first-set tie-breaker.
Nishikori hit 40 winners with 23 unforced errors in the match, to Sousa's 22 winners and 20 unforced errors. He moves on to face 18th seed Daniel Evans in the second round.
PAUL SPOILS LOPEZ MILESTONE
Feliciano Lopez achieved a milestone just by stepping on the court as he set a record by appearing in his 139th ATP Masters 1000 event – one more than Roger Federer – but that was the only positive as the 40-year-old Spaniard fell to Tommy Paul 6-3 7-6 (7-3).
The 24-year-old American, ranked 60th in the world, won 70 per cent of his service points to prevail in his Indian Wells debut.
Another tournament newcomer, Germany's Daniel Altmaier, defeated former quarter-finalist Sam Querrey 6-2 6-4 in just over an hour.
Another USA veteran, Steve Johnson lost 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 7-5 to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who also is playing the event for the first time.
The fifth seed was taken all the way to a third-set tie-break by Sock, which he trailed 5-3 before recovering to claim a 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 7-6 (7-5) victory in a gripping contest.
Sock, ranked 140 places below his opponent, put his strong forehand to good use to hold in a first set that went the distance but was undone by some unforced errors.
After responding brilliantly by taking the second set, after once again holding his serve, the American looked to be heading for defeat when 40-0 down at 5-6 in the third set.
However, he dug deep to force another tie-break and was within two points of a big victory, only for two more unforced errors to cost him a place in the last 32.
"It was a crazy battle; we both left everything out there," Tsitsipas said. "Jack played incredibly well at times but I was able to bring out the best in my game at the end.
"I proved I could play aggressive tennis and stay calm at the same time."
Tsitsipas will now face another home hopeful in Jenson Brooksby, who saw off Karen Khachanov 6-0 6-3 earlier in the day.
Jannik Sinner battled to a 6-3 6-3 win over Laslo Djere elsewhere in Saturday's action, while Denis Shapovalov and defending champion Cameron Norrie also advanced.
Fabio Fognini withdrew from his meeting with Nikoloz Basilashvili, who now awaits Norrie in the next round.
Tsitsipas – the second seed – suffered a shock defeat to Nikoloz Basilashvili in a memorable outing for the Georgian in the Californian desert on Friday.
Afterwards, third seed Zverev was upstaged by Taylor Fritz in another boilover at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament.
BASILASHVILI BANISHES STEFANOS FOR MAIDEN MASTERS SF
In the biggest win of his career, 29th seed Basilashvili conquered French Open runner-up Tsitsipas 6-4 2-6 6-4.
Basilashvili's powerful groundstrokes from the baseline troubled Tsitsipas throughout as he reached his first Masters 1000 semi-final.
Prior to this year, Basilashvili had never won a main-draw match at Indian Wells in four previous appearances.
"I have played really great matches this tournament," said Basilashvili, who is the first Georgian in a Masters 1000 semi-final since Irakli Labadze in 2004. "I was not that happy with how I played today but I was happy with how I managed my stress levels.
"First time in the quarter-finals and it is a big court and Stefanos is a super tough player. I had to keep my physical levels and energy levels in a really good shape because I knew mentally I would be a little bit tight and stressed."
FRITZ SAVES MATCH POINTS TO UPSET ZVEREV
Next up for Basilashvili is 31st seed Fritz, who fended off two match points to surprise Olympic Games gold medallist Zverev 4-6 6-4 7-6 (7-3).
Fritz dropped the opening set and rallied from 5-2 down in the decider as he earned his second top-five victory of his career en route to his first Masters 1000 semi-final.
"I was really down and out but I found a way to put myself into it," Fritz said in his on-court interview. "I really wanted to make him have to close me out and I was able to get back into the match.
"Normally you would be so nervous in those situations and in the third set tie-break, but I felt so confident being aggressive, going after my game. It feels really great to play well with the pressure on."
It is the second Masters 1000 tournament of the season to feature three players in their first semi-final – Basilashvili, Fritz and Cameron Norrie – after the Miami Open.
Medvedev – the US Open champion – has lost only three of his last 41 sets, and has never dropped one to McDonald in five career meetings with the American as he maintained his red-hot form.
Russian star Medvedev is now 37-5 on hardcourts this year and appears well-positioned to make it past the third round of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament for the first time as he awaits Filip Krajinovic.
"I'm actually really pleased, because usually I haven’t played well in Indian Wells and I haven’t been playing that well in practices before [the tournament]," Medvedev said in his on-court interview. "[I am] really happy with my performance. That’s the most important [thing] no matter how I played before the tournament."
RUBLEV ROLLS PAST TABERNER
Medvedev's countryman Andrey Rublev closed out the night session with a 6-3 6-4 defeat of Carlos Taberner, who was facing a top-10 opponent for the first time.
Fourth seed and world number five Rublev won 66 per cent of points on his first serve and hit 30 winners to Taberner's 12.
Rublev improved to 47-16 this season, 31-9 on hard courts, and will face Tommy Paul in the third round.
SHAPOVALOV WINS IN NEAR-WALKOVER
Most of the seeded players in action had an easy time of it, none more so than Canadian ninth seed Denis Shapovalov.
Shapovalov's opponent and countryman Vasek Pospisil retired with an apparent back injury after dropping the first three games of the match.
Sixth seed Casper Ruud blew past Roberto Carballes Baena 6-1 6-2, while eighth seed Hubert Hurkacz downed Alexei Popyrin 6-1 7-5.
Diego Schwartzman had to work harder to advance, the 11th seed outlasting qualifier Maxime Cressy 6-2 3-6 7-5.
Top-ranked American Reilly Opelka, the 16th seed, beat Taro Daniel 7-5 6-3 for his first main-draw victory at Indian Wells in four attempts.
Daniel Evans also went the distance to defeat Kei Nishikori 4-6 6-3 6-4, while former world number three Grigor Dimitrov, 2021 Australian Open semi-finalist Aslan Karatsev and Frances Tiafoe were among the other players to advance.
Korda had trained with Nadal earlier this week before the draw paired the two together – an eagerly awaited encounter for the younger man.
Korda is such a big Nadal fan his cat is named after the Spaniard, but he caused some concern for the 21-time major champion and his other supporters on Saturday.
Having talked up the meeting, it looked as though the occasion might get the better of Korda as he quickly fell 4-0 down in the opener.
Nadal had not dropped a set since victory at the Australian Open – one of three tournaments he has entered this year and three tournaments he has won.
But that perfect 15-0 record suddenly came under threat in the second set, as Korda sought to prolong his dream match-up and stunned his hero 6-1.
Suddenly, Nadal was forced to face down one of his biggest fans in a decider and initially struggled badly, falling two breaks down, with Korda serving for the match at 5-2.
This time the nerves did get to Korda, who lost four games in a row before stopping the rot to reach a tie-break.
There, Korda did briefly hold a mini-break lead, but that was only as part of a sequence of five consecutive mini-breaks that took the match away from him, Nadal prevailing 6-2 1-6 7-6 (7-3).
"I feel very, very lucky today to be through, honestly," Nadal said afterwards.
Korda could at least enjoy his consolation prize: compliments from Nadal, who had won their only prior meeting en route to his 2020 French Open title.
"Sebastian was playing some fantastic tennis and I'm sorry for him," Nadal said. "He had chances, but that's tennis.
"He's very young, he has an amazing future. I wish him all the best."
Up next for Nadal is Dan Evans, whose compatriot Cameron Norrie – the defending Indian Wells champion – also advanced with a straight-sets win over Pedro Martinez.
Lopez came through the match against the Serbian, ranked 30th in the world, at the Bercy Arena in 85 minutes on Monday.
He saved six set points in the first-set tie-break before he ruthlessly closed out the second to secure a first meeting with Nadal in five years.
The 39-year-old has beaten his fellow Spaniard in their past two meetings in Cincinnati in 2015 and Shanghai in 2014, although Nadal boasts a better record overall in their head to head with nine wins to Lopez's four.
Borna Coric, seeded 15th, claimed a 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 win over Hungarian qualifier Marton Fucsovics.
Lucky loser Radu Albot saw off 21 aces to edge past Hubert Hurkacz 7-5 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 to seal a meeting with world number eight Andrey Rublev, winner of the Vienna Open on Sunday.
Marin Cilic claimed a 6-0 3-6 6-3 win against Felix Auger-Aliassime, while Alex de Minaur beat Stefano Travaglia 6-4 6-4.
Nadal landed the landmark singles win of his career as he came from a set down to defeat Feliciano Lopez 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 at the Paris Masters.
Wednesday's clash was the first time Nadal has played since he claimed his 13th French Open title last month.
The 34-year-old now sits fourth on the list of players with the most wins in the Open Era, behind Jimmy Connors, Roger Federer and Ivan Lendl.
Though proud of his long career, Nadal did point out one negative to reaching the milestone.
"Of course [I am proud] but there is one negative thing and that is that you are very old to get to 1000, you are very old," Nadal told reporters.
"Because to win 1000 matches you have to have a long career, but I am super happy. To arrive at that number means I did a lot of things well over a long time.
"Thanks to everybody – the ATP, to the French Federation, to everybody, my uncle, it's not the same without the crowd.
"I am proud of a lot of things honestly, but I faced some challenges in my career, ball injuries and I always have the passion to keep going and the dedication and humility to accept the challenges when things don't go the way you expect.
"Of course it's a big achievement to be playing at the age of 34 and at the same time still being competitive is still something very important for me and makes me feel proud and happy and proud about all the things that, not just me, the whole team have achieved."
Nadal, who has never won the Paris Masters, was imperious at Roland Garros, but looked far less assured at the Bercy Arena.
Lopez made a strong start, with a break of serve in the opening game resulting in him taking the first set, but Nadal hit back by edging a tie-break and then breaking his compatriot – who he has a 14-10 winning record against – at the start of the decider.
"It was very tough match, I started in the worst way possible with the break against him," Nadal added.
"It's difficult as you are under pressure the whole match. I am very happy to finally find a way to win because you don't want to be in a tie-break for the whole match against a big server like Feliciano and a very good player from the baseline, especially on this surface."
American Fritz saved two match points to pull off an upset 4-6 6-4 7-6 (7-3) win over Olympic gold medallist Zverev.
Third seed Zverev was aware he had become hot favourite to triumph in California after Stefanos Tsitsipas crashed out to Nikoloz Basilashvili earlier on Friday, with US Open champion Daniil Medvedev already eliminated.
And the German was frustrated with his performance against Fritz, which left him unable to add to the Masters 1000 titles he has already won in Madrid and Cincinnati this year.
"It was just not really my day, to be honest," said Zverev, who had beaten Jenson Brooksby, Andy Murray and Gael Monfils to reach the last eight.
"I was close to winning, but the level of tennis was just not there for me.
"Mentally this is not easy for me. My next tournament is Vienna, so hoping I can deal with it well there, but right now I just want to go home.
"It was a very long season and I have played well but this one hurts because I knew that, after Stefanos lost this morning, I was kind of the favourite to win this tournament, but my tennis wasn't there yet."
Zverev had won 20 of his previous 21 matches on hard courts and led 5-2 in the deciding set.
But Fritz was not to be denied, firing 36 winners to secure the second top-five win of his career, with this triumph adding to impressive victories over Italian duo Matteo Berrettini and Jannik Sinner this week.
Fritz said: "This is the farthest I've ever been in a big tournament.
"It is easily the best win of my life, against a really tough opponent on arguably the biggest match I could possibly play, so it's great.
"The biggest thing was match point down, I wanted to make him serve it out, so I just fought as hard as I could to hold that game.
"Then I got fortunate in his service game and from there I felt in control and felt really good under the pressure. I kept fighting. The crowd pushing me on meant so much.
"It is amazing. Especially the way that match ended with such high emotions with the crowd. The crowd was amazing and it is a dream come true."
Zverev, who last in last year's final, saw match points slip from his grasp in the second set as Dimitrov levelled the match, however, he eventually prevailed on Thursday.
World number one Novak Djokovic benefited from a walkover, while Daniil Medvedev also moved through to the quarter-finals of the ATP Masters 1000 event.
Zverev outlasts Dimitrov
Olympic Games gold medallist Zverev had to dig deep for his 7-6 (7-4) 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 win over former world number three Dimitrov.
It was Zverev's seventh win on the bounce, but he was well aware of just how deep he had to dig to see off a resilient Dimitrov.
"Incredible match," Zverev, who won a fifth tour title of the year last week at the Vienna Open, said afterwards. "Grigor is playing very high-level tennis and I had to leave everything out there.
"I think it was a very high-level match and it could have gone both ways, especially the third set. I am happy with how things went in the end."
Djokovic moves through without playing
There was no such ordeal for top seed Djokovic, however.
Djokovic – a 20-time grand slam champion – received a walkover after Gael Monfils was advised not to continue with the tournament due to an adductor issue sustained in his previous win over Adrian Mannarino.
Taylor Fritz awaits five-time Paris champion Djokovic after the American saw off 10th seed Norrie 6-3 7-6 (7-3), while Casper Ruud will tussle with Zverev.
Ruud's emphatic 6-2 6-1 demolition of Marcos Giron clinched a historic achievement for the 22-year-old – who became the first Norwegian to qualify for the ATP Finals at the end of a breakthrough year in which no player can better his five tour-level titles.
Hubert Hurkacz did his chances of joining Ruud in Turin no harm as the Polish seventh seed – who holds the last automatic qualifying berth – fought back to defeat Dominik Koepfer 4-6 7-5 6-2 and set up a meeting with James Duckworth, who beat Alexei Popyrin 7-6 (8-6) 6-4.
Second seed and US Open champion Medvedev was another who had to come from behind before ultimately seeing off Sebastian Korda 4-6 6-1 6-3.
He will go up against Hugo Gaston, who became the first French qualifier to reach the Paris Masters quarter-finals since 1990 with his win over Carlos Alcaraz.
Olympic Gamed gold medallist and third seed Zverev fell behind a break in both sets but battled past Murray in straight sets at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament on Tuesday.
Tsitsipas – the second seed – rallied from a set down to vanquish Fabio Fognini in the desert, while fifth seed Berrettini was a third-round casualty.
ZVEREV CLAIMS COVETED SCALP OF MURRAY
Having already defeated Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in his career, all that was missing for Zverev was a win over Murray to complete the 'Big Four' sweep.
Zverev added Murray to his list of scalps with a 6-4 7-6 (7-4) victory to reach the Indian Wells fourth round for the first time since 2016.
The German star has now won 19 of his last 20 matches since Wimbledon.
"He's the only one of the Big Four that I hadn't beaten yet, so I'm happy that I've done it today," said Zverev, who will clash with 14th seed Gael Monfils in the next round. "Obviously it was a fantastic match.
"I thought Andy played extremely well, maybe as well as he's played since the surgery. I hope he continues playing the same way, because tennis did miss him for a long time and I think it's good to have him back."
TSITSIPAS FIGHTS BACK
It was far from easy for Greek star Tsitsipas, who prevailed 2-6 6-3 6-4 against 25th seed Fabio Fognini.
Tsitsipas added to his ATP Tour-leading haul of match wins this season, which now stands at 53 after Fognini had been looking to score his first victory over the French Open runner-up.
Alex de Minaur – the 22nd seed – awaits after he took down 13th seed Cristian Garin 6-4 6-2 for his first trip to the Indian Wells last 16.
BERRETTINI BUNDLED OUT
Wimbledon finalist Berrettini was no match for Taylor Fritz, who surprisingly topped the Italian 6-4 6-3.
Berrettini entered the contest as the only player on the ATP Tour this season to register double-digit wins on three surfaces – 15-4 (hard), 13-4 (clay) and 11-1 (grass).
"We're coming to the end of the year, I could really use a big result," said Fritz after claiming his first top-10 win of the year. "This is just what I needed, playing one of my favourite tournaments close to home."
