We are in week two of action from the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California and the competition is heating up. The top-ranked men and women have come from across the globe to compete in one of the largest and most notable tennis tournaments in the United States.
Four rounds of competition have been completed since the tournament began on March 6 and only eight men and women remain heading into the quarterfinals. We’ve seen a number of upsets and exciting matches thus far, and I think that these last few days will prove to be just as exciting. Below I’ve provided a recap of the competition up to this point, as well as a preview and predictions for the rest of the tournament.
Recap of First Four Rounds
The ATP BNP Paribas Open began with 128 male competitors, but saw the field narrowed down to the final 8 men after four rounds of competition. Out of the top ten ranked competitors heading into the competition, only five remain, as players like Stefanos Tsitipas, Casper Ruud, Andrey Rublev, Holger Rune, and Hubert Hurkacz have each suffered disappointing upsets in the first four rounds of competition.
Heading into the quarterfinals, the top five remaining men are Spanish player Carlos Alcaraz, American player Taylor Fritz, Canadian player Felix Auger-Aliassime, Russian player Daniil Medvedev, and British player Cameron Norrie. Each of these men have proven why they are ranked where they’re at and are that much closer to hoisting the trophy.
Similar to the ATP tournament, the WTA BNP Paribas Open began with 128 female competitors, but saw the field narrowed down to the final 8 men after four rounds of competition. Some of the top ranked women have also suffered disappointing losses, as only five of the remaining eight competitors are seeded in the top 10 and two of the competitors weren’t even seeded at all.
Among notable competitors that are still alive heading into the quarterfinals includes Polish player Iga Swiatek, Kazakhstani player Elena Rybakina, Greek player Maria Sakkari, American player Coco Gauff, and Russian player Aryna Sabalenka. The next four days of competition will certainly bring excitement as these women are all playing at their highest level at the moment.
Preview and Predictions for Rest of Indian Wells
There’s a number of great matches lined up for the ATP quarterfinals. My pick for this round is #5 ATP ranked Taylor Fritz(+105) over #13 ATP ranked Italian player Jannick Sinner(-110) on Thursday March 16, as Fritz has been playing out his mind as of late. Despite being the underdog in this matchup I think he is more than capable of defeating Sinner and gaining a spot in the semifinals.
However, I don’t think Fritz will be capable of winning the whole tournament, as I think Carlos Alcaraz(+310) is by far the best remaining competitor. Although he was unable to win the final match of the Rio Open a few weeks ago, it was his second final match appearance in a row after his victory at the Cordoba Open. Alcaraz is the most talented competitor in the tournament and has proven himself up to the point.
There aren’t any close matchups in the WTA quarterfinals, however, I am still taking #7 WTA ranked player Maria Sakkari(-170) over #15 WTA ranked Czech player Petra Kivotva(+140). As for the winner of the whole tournament, I’m sticking to recent trends and taking Iga Swiatek(-135). These aren’t the best odds, but it’s definitely the safest bet, as Swiatek has qualified for the final match in her last two tournaments and has topped the WTA rankings for just under a week.
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