Carlos Alcaraz won the Masters 1000 last year but faces a tough title defense due to his poor form and the presence of top players in the draw.
Tennis players like Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev are capable of competing for the title, as are Andrei Rublev and Alexander Zverev.
First quarter:
Ranked players: (1) Novak Djokovic, (8) Hubert Hurkacz, (9) Casper Ruud, (14) Hugo Humbert, (17) Tommy Paul, (23) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, (28) Cameron Norrie, (30) Thomas Martin Echeverry
Expected quarter-finals: Novak Djokovic vs. Casper Ruud
Analysis: Number one seed Novak Djokovic will make his first appearance at Indian Wells since 2019 and should have no problem reaching the fourth round. Here, the Serbian will face either 14th seed Hugo Humbert or 17th seed Tommy Paul.
Djokovic can beat any of them and reach the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open.
On the other side of this quarter are eighth-seeded Casper Ruud and ninth-seeded Hubert Hurkacz, who are likely to advance to the round of 16. The Norwegian seems to be the favorite of this confrontation.
Djokovic has won each of his past matches against Casper Ruud and, given his current form, should be able to get the better of the Norwegian and reach the semi-finals in Indian Wells.
Prediction for the quarter-finals: Victory for Novak Djokovic over Casper Ruud
Second quarter:
Ranked players: (4) Daniil Medvedev, (7) Holger Rune, (12) Taylor Fritz, (13) Grigor Dimitrov, (19) Sebastian Baez, (21) Adrian Mannarino, (26) Lorenzo Musetti, (29) Sebastian Korda
Expected quarter-finals: Daniil Medvedev vs. Taylor Fritz
Analysis: Last year’s finalist, Daniil Medvedev, is in this quarter and will start the tournament against Flavio Cobolli or Roberto Carballes Baena. He should be able to beat either and advance to the third round, where his opponent will likely be 29th seed Sebastian Korda.
Medvedev will likely beat the American and advance to the fourth round, where he will likely face No. 13 Grigor Dimitrov. Although Dimitrov has shown promising tennis in recent months, the Russian has a good chance of reaching the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open.
On the other side of the draw is Rafael Nadal, who will face Milos Raonic in the first round. The Spaniard is likely to defeat the Canadian and advance to the second round. Here he will face seventh seed Holger Rune, who has not been in the best form of late.
Nadal may be able to get the better of Rune, and if that happens he could beat whoever he faces in the third round and advance to the round of 16. Here, the 37-year-old will face Taylor Fritz.
The American is capable of playing tennis well and has a good chance of beating Nadal and reaching the quarter-finals of the BNP Paribas Open.
Medvedev and Fritz can meet in the quarterfinals and the Russian will be the favorite.
Prediction for the quarter-finals: Victory for Daniil Medvedev over Taylor Fritz
Third quarter:
Ranked players: (3) Jannik Sinner, (5) Andrey Rublev, (11) Stefanos Tsitsipas, (16) Ben Shelton, (18) Francis Tiafoe, (22) Francisco Serundolo, (25) Jan-Lennard Struff, (32) Jiri Legecka
Expected quarter-finals: Jannik Sinner vs. Andrey Rublev
Analysis: Third seed Jannik Sinner is in this quarter and will face either Thanasi Kokkinakis or Marcos Giron. The Italian should be able to win a match against anyone and shouldn’t have too much trouble reaching the fourth round given his current form. Here he will most likely meet Ben Shelton. Although the American is a formidable opponent, Sinner must defeat him and reach the quarter-finals of the BNP Paribas Open.
At the other end of the quarter is fifth seed Andrey Rublev, who shouldn’t have too much trouble reaching the fourth round, although Andy Murray, Christopher Eubanks and Jiri Legecka shouldn’t be ruled out. Next, the Russian will meet Frances Tiafoe or Stefanos Tsitsipas and could reach the quarter-finals in Indian Wells.
Sinner and Rublev are likely quarter-finalists. The Italian is the favorite, given his recent victory at the Australian Open.
Prediction for the quarter-finals: Jannik Sinner will beat Andrey Rublev
Fourth trimester:
Ranked players: (2) Carlos Alcaraz, (6) Alexander Zverev, (10) Alex de Minaur, (15) Karen Khachanov, (20) Alexander Bublik, (24) Nicholas Jarry, (27) Tallon Griekspoor, (31) Felix Auger-Aliassime
Expected quarter-finals: Carlos Alcaraz vs. Alex de Minaur
Analysis: Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz is in this quarter and will face either Luca van Asschem or Matteo Arnaldi in the second round. Next, the Spaniard will likely face Félix Auger-Aliassime in the third round and should beat him to advance to the fourth round in Indian Wells.
Alcaraz will likely face 15th seed Karen Khachanov in the quarterfinals and should also beat the Russian.
In the other half of this quarter are sixth seed Alexander Zverev and tenth seed Alex de Minaur. Although 20th seed Alexander Bublik has a good chance of reaching the fourth round, it will likely depend on Zverev and De Minaur battling for a place in the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open.
The Australian has been in good form lately and recently won the Mexican Open in Acapulco. He therefore has a good chance not only of reaching the quarter-finals of the BNP Paribas Open, but also of taking the fight to Alcaraz.
Alcaraz and De Minaur will meet in the quarter-finals and the Australian may be able to edge the Spaniard given the recent form of both players.
Prediction for the quarter-finals: Alex de Minaur defeats Carlos Alcaraz
Semi-final and final predictions
The first scheduled semi-final will pit Novak Djokovic against Daniil Medvedev, and although the Serbian enters the match as the favorite, the Russian plays his best tennis on hard courts. So it wouldn’t be a surprise if Medvedev beats Djokovic.
The other scheduled semi-final will pit Jannik Sinner against Alex de Minaur. Sinner has won all of his previous meetings with the Australian and given his form, he can be expected to reach the final.
Expected end: Jannik Sinner vs. Daniil Medvedev
We could see a rematch of the Australian Open final in the main event of the BNP Paribas Open. Sinner has won each of his last four matches against Medvedev, but the Russian came close to victory in Melbourne. However, looking at his recent performances, Medvedev missed too many tournaments after the Australian TBS and is not yet in his best form. It will be difficult for him against Sinner.
Predicted winner: Jannik Sinner.
Vyacheslav Gorbachev/Athletistic
Source: Sport
I’m Rose Brown , a journalist and writer with over 10 years of experience in the news industry. I specialize in covering tennis-related news for Athletistic, a leading sports media website. My writing is highly regarded for its quick turnaround and accuracy, as well as my ability to tell compelling stories about the sport.
