Indian Wells 2024 Day 4: Men's singles predictions ft. Taylor Fritz vs Alejandro Tabilo | BNP Paribas Open
Players from the top half of the draw will take to the court on Day 4 of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.
15th seed Karen Khachanov has been the biggest casualty on the men's side so far. Thiago Seyboth Wild managed to score a 6-1, 7-5 win over the Russian to eliminate him.
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz won the tournament without losing a set last year. He already dropped one during his second-round contest against Matteo Arnaldi but bounced back strongly to register a 6-7 (5), 6-0, 6-1 victory.
Now, more players will aim to join Alcaraz and others in the third round on Saturday. On that note, here's a look at the predictions for some of the key matches scheduled for Day 4 at Indian Wells:
#1 - Taylor Fritz vs Alejandro Tabilo
Fritz tasted a decent level of success in the first few weeks of the season. He reached his first quarterfinal at the Australian Open, where he lost to Novak Djokovic. He then successfully defended his title at the Dallas Open.
Fritz's string of good results came to an end at the Mexican Open, where he was stunned by Arnaldi in the first round as he lost to him 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. Tabilo, too, has played at a pretty good level this season.
The 26-year-old captured his maiden career title at the ASB Classic at the start of the year. He recently reached his second final of the season at the Chile Open but lost to Sebastian Baez. He rallied from a set down to defeat Pavel Kotov 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 in the first round at Indian Wells.
Fritz's accomplishments make him the favorite in this match-up. He's also a former Indian Wells champion. However, he'll need to raise his level compared to what he displayed at the Mexican Open, or else he'll be shown the door quite early once again.
Predicted winner: Taylor Fritz
#2 - Casper Ruud vs Lukas Klein
Ruud finished as the runner-up at the Los Cabos Open and the Mexican Open over the last few weeks. His recent results also pushed him back into the top 10 of the rankings. With a 13-3 record for the season, he has been in fine form thus far.
Klein came through the qualifying rounds at Indian Wells and scored a 7-6 (8), 6-4 win over Nicolas Moreno de Alboran in the first round. The 25-year-old only has a handful of main draw wins at the ATP level so far. Given Ruud's recent form, it seems quite unlikely that he will lose this encounter.
Predicted winner: Casper Ruud
#3 - Tommy Paul vs Alex Michelsen
After a third-round exit from the Australian Open, Paul claimed his second career title at the Dallas Open with a 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-3 win over Marcos Giron in the final. He reached the final of the Delray Beach Open the following week but lost to Fritz 6-3, 6-2.
Paul then participated in the Mexican Open but failed to get past the opening hurdle as Jack Draper handed him a 6-0, 6-4 loss. Michelsen made light work of Jaume Munar in the first round at Indian Wells with a 6-2, 6-3 victory.
Michelsen is making quick progress on the ATP Tour and is the second-youngest-ranked player in the top 100. Paul's experience makes him the favorite, though the teenager has the potential to score an upset.
Predicted winner: Tommy Paul
#4 - Cameron Norrie vs Lorenzo Sonego
Norrie failed to notch up consecutive wins in his two tournaments in the lead-up to the Australian Open. Nevertheless, he made it to the fourth round of the Australian Open where he lost a five-set thriller against Alexander Zverev.
Norrie then left the Argentina Open without winning a match and his title defence at the Rio Open concluded in the semifinals. Sonego ousted Miomir Kecmanovic in the first round of the Indian Wells Masters. It marked just his fourth win of the season.
Sonego will now aim to register consecutive victories for the first time this year. He won his previous and only encounter against Norrie back at the 2019 Monte Carlo Masters. However, given the Italian's rather poor start to the season, his odds of scoring another win in this rivalry are quite slim.
Predicted winner: Cameron Norrie