By Tony Fairbairn
- Carlos Alcaraz looks to capitalise on Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic’s absence as Taylor Fritz defends title.
- Top Seeds: Carlos Alcaraz, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud, Taylor Fritz
- British Interest: Cameron Norrie [10], Dan Evans [24], Andy Murray, Jack Draper
INDIAN WELLS, USA – Carlos Alcaraz is looking to capitalise on Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic’s absence from the tournament while Taylor Fritz looks to defend his title.
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[1] Carlos Alcaraz
Best Result: Semi-Final (2022)
Alcaraz will play his first hard court event on the season after missing out on the Australian Open and will look to take advantage of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic’s absence.
Alcaraz’s Path to the Final (Ranking/Seeding)
- R1: Bye | H2H: N/A
- R2: Brandon Holt [WC] | H2H: First Meeting
- R3: Tallon Griekspoor [31] | H2H: Alcaraz leads 1-0
- R4: Pablo Carreno Busta [15] | H2H: Alcaraz leads 2-0
- QF: Felix Auger-Aliassime [8] | H2H: Auger-Aliassime leads 3-0
- SF: Taylor Fritz [4] | H2H: First Meeting
- F: Stefanos Tsitsipas [2] | H2H: Alcaraz leads 3-0
Alcaraz has a favourable start to the tournament as he takes on players that don’t have the skillset to outpower him from the baseline. However in the later rounds the likes of Felix Auger-Aliassime and Taylor Fritz will provide stern tests for the Spaniard and will test the top seed’s physicality with Alcaraz still struggling with injuries. Overall this is a good opportunity for Alcaraz to prove that he deserves to be the best of the rest when it comes to challenging Nadal and Djokovic at the big events.
[2] Stefanos Tsitsipas
Best Result: Quarter-Final (2021)
After reaching his second Grand Slam final in Melbourne, Tsitsipas is looking to be Alcaraz’s biggest challenger in California as he looks to maintain consistency at the big events.
Tsitsipas’s Path to the Final (Ranking/Seeding)
- R1: Bye | H2H: N/A
- R2: Jordan Thompson | H2H: Tsitsipas leads 2-0
- R3: Maxime Cressy [32] | H2H: Tsitsipas leads 2-0
- R4: Frances Tiafoe [14] | H2H: Tiafoe leads 3-2
- QF: Andrey Rublev [6] | H2H: Tsitsipas leads 6-5
- SF: Casper Ruud [3] | H2H: Tied at 1-1
- F: Carlos Alcaraz [1] | H2H: Alcaraz leads 3-0
Tsitsipas has a decent draw and with that comes a good opportunity to achieve his best ever result in California. The Greek’s returning ability will be tested against Jordan Thompson and Maxime Cressy before a very stern test against Frances Tiafoe in the last 16. Tiafoe has often had Tsitsipas’ number in the past and has performed to an exceptional standard when playing in front of his home crowd. Should Tsitsipas reach the latter stages then a place in the semi-finals looks likely where in-form Daniil Medvedev could await as well as Casper Ruud. Overall Tsitsipas has a good opportunity to gain valuable ranking points and continue his good form at big events.
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[3] Casper Ruud
Best Results: Fourth Round (2021)
After failing to win back-to-back matches this season, Ruud will look to pick up some momentum and form ahead of his Miami Open title defence in a couple of weeks time.
Ruud’s Path to the Final (Ranking/Seeding)
- R1: Bye | H2H: N/A
- R2: Diego Schwartzman | H2H: Schwartzman leads 5-3
- R3: Yoshihito Nishioka [29] | H2H: Tied at 1-1
- R4: Karen Khachanov [13] | H2H: Ruud leads 2-0
- QF: Daniil Medvedev [5] | H2H: Medvedev leads 3-0
- SF: Stefanos Tsitsipas [2] | H2H: Tied at 1-1
- F: Carlos Alcaraz [1] | H2H: Alcaraz leads 3-0
Ruud will be delighted with the opening few rounds of his draw as it gives him the opportunity to play his way into the tournament. However a potential quarter-final against Daniil Medvedev will be a tough challenge given the fifth seed’s recent form has seen him win three consecutive ATP tour titles. The most important thing for the Norwegian is to build confidence in his performances as he has a lot of ranking points to defend in the next few months. Anything other than reaching the fourth round will be classed as a failure given his start to the year.
[4] Taylor Fritz
Best Result: Champion (2022)
Fritz heads into his Indian Wells with confidence and form on his side having won Delray Beach which saw him move into the top five in the world for the first time in his career.
Fritz’s Path to the Final (Ranking/Seeding)
- R1: Bye | H2H: N/A
- R2: Ben Shelton | H2H: First Meeting
- R3: Sebastian Baez [30] | H2H: Fritz leads 1-0
- R4: Alex De Minaur [16] | H2H: Tied at 3-3
- QF: Holger Rune [7] | H2H: First Meeting
- SF: Carlos Alcaraz [1] | H2H: First Meeting
- F: Stefanos Tsitsipas [2] | H2H: Tsitsipas leads 3-0
Fritz faces a tough opening match against compatriot and big-hitting Ben Shelton but overall the defending champion has a good draw. The fourth seed will enter the tournament with a lot of confidence and belief, knowing that there isn’t anyone in the draw who intimidates him. The big test for Fritz will be whether he can live up to the pressure and expectation of defending a big title in his home country.
Indian Wells takes place between 8-19 March.
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