By Tony Fairbairn
- Taylor Fritz [4] v Ben Shelton
- Victoria Azarenka [14] v Karolina Muchova
- Carlos Alcaraz [1] v Thanasi Kokkinakis [Q]
INDIAN WELLS, USA – Former champions Taylor Fritz and Victoria Azarenka look to overcome early obstacles in their bid to win the Indian Wells title again as the second round action comes to a close.
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Taylor Fritz [4] v Ben Shelton | H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Taylor Fritz [4] v Ben Shelton | H2H: First Meeting |
| Indian Wells | Indian Wells, USA |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $30,885 |
| Third on Stadium 1, not before 3pm (11pm GMT) | Amazon Prime Video <– Sign up for trial |
Taylor Fritz has been one of the most consistent players on the tour and it was this time last year where the American’s journey to the world’s top five began. Fritz secured his Masters 1000 title of his career at last year’s event which sparked a breakthrough year seeing him as one of the most reliable players on the tour. Now having reached the world’s top five Fritz will look to rise to the expectation as he looks to defend the title this year without having to worry about Novak Djokovic or Rafael Nadal.
It’s fitting that Fritz’s title defence will start against a fearless young American in the form of Ben Shelton. Shelton has had an incredible last year, having only just turned professional as he blitzed his way through the challenger circuit. The big-hitting American capped off a stunning last six months by reaching the Australian Open quarter-finals as he is thriving on the big stages. At only just 20 years old, Shelton is now looking to make a major mark on the tour by achieving one of the best wins of his career.
This will be a tough opener for Fritz as Shelton will thrive off the high bouncing balls and will use the angles to test Fritz’s defensive skills. The fourth seed will need to be incredibly consistent on serve and make a high percentage of returns while Shelton will look to neutralise Fritz’s attack by producing deep, aggressive shots. This will be a great advert for American tennis and overall a great test to see if Fritz can thrive under pressure.
Prediction: Shelton in three sets.
Victoria Azarenka [14] v Karolina Muchova | H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Victoria Azarenka [14] v Karolina Muchova | H2H: Azarenka leads 1-0 |
| Indian Wells | Indian Wells, USA |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $30,885 |
| First on Stadium 1 at 11am (7pm GMT) | Amazon Prime Video <– Sign up for trial |
It’s fair to say, Victoria Azarenka loves playing at Indian Wells having won the title on two occasions. Furthermore the 14th seed recently reached the final here in 2021 and is one of the players to have been helped by the higher bouncing conditions in California. Azarenka has started the season well having reached the last four at the Australian Open and will now look to carry the momentum into the sunshine double as she looks to establish herself as a contender for the big titles.
First up for Azarenka is Karolina Muchova as the Czech Republican edged past Yulia Putintseva in her first round match. Muchova’s mix of variety and power can be troublesome for any opponent and after a lack of match practice as well as fitness issues, Muchova is looking to get her ranking back up with a deep run in California going a long way to achieving that goal.
Muchova will look to disrupt Azarenka’s rhythm with slice and spin while Azarenka will look to be consistently aggressive from the baseline and change the direction of her shots consistently. In order for the Czech Republican to win, Muchova will need to come to the net to finish points off because Azarenka will win the longer rallies and is more tolerant to the baseline exchanges. The 14th seed should win in straight sets as long as she maintains a good level of consistency.
Prediction: Azarenka in straight sets.
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Carlos Alcaraz [1] v Thanasi Kokkinakis [Q] | H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Carlos Alcaraz [1] v Thanasi Kokkinakis [Q] | H2H: First Meeting |
| Indian Wells | Indian Wells, USA |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $30,885 |
| Second night match on Stadium 1, not before 7:30pm (3:30am GMT, Sunday) | Amazon Prime Video <– Sign up for trial |
After missing the Australian Open, Carlos Alcaraz has more than made up for lost time as he secured eight victories on clay last month. Now the Spaniard is looking to claim his world number one ranking back as he prepares to return to the hard courts in America after reaching the semi-finals in California last year. Can the US Open champion reclaim his dominance at Indian Wells?
That question will be answered in some form against big-hitting Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis. Kokkinakis had a good start to the year in Australia but is looking to ensure that his ranking is high enough to enter the biggest tournaments on the ATP tour more regularly. A victory over Alcaraz will go a long way to ensuring that he is a constant threat on the tour as his least comfortable surface approaches next month.
Kokkinakis will look to serve well and neutralise the Spaniard’s returning quality as he looks to dictate play from the baseline. Meanwhile Alcaraz will look to use variety and depth to cause Kokkinakis problems and force the errors from the Australian’s error-prone game. Kokkinakis is used to causing upsets in the past but the top seed is in fine form and should edge to victory in this highly anticipated contest.
Prediction: Alcaraz in three sets.
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