By Tony Fairbairn
- Carlos Alcaraz [2] v Denis Shapovalov [27]
- Coco Gauff [3] v Maria Sakkari [29]
- Alex De Minaur [9] v Hubert Hurkacz [21]
INDIAN WELLS, USA – Carlos Alcaraz and Coco Gauff look to overcome tough third round obstacles as a place in the fourth round of Indian Wells awaits.
 |
|---|
Carlos Alcaraz [2] v Denis Shapovalov [27] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Carlos Alcaraz [2] v Denis Shapovalov [27] | H2H: Alcaraz leads 1-0 |
| Indian Wells 2025 | Indian Wells, USA |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $64,500 |
| Fourth on Stadium One (Not before 02:00 GMT) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
Despite winning the Rotterdam title this season, Carlos Alcaraz will feel he should have done better this season with a quarter-final exits at the Australian Open and in Doha. The Spaniard will hope that won’t affect the rest of his season too much though as he bids for a third consecutive Indian Wells title in what is a big next few months for Alcaraz with Roland Garros and Wimbledon title defences coming up.
A tough obstacle awaits Alcaraz in the third round as he takes on charismatic Canadian Denis Shapovalov. The 27th seed had a poor 2024 season and was rapidly falling down the rankings but has played himself into form this year. A title in Dallas with wins over Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul and Casper Ruud seems to have sparked his game into form. Now Shapovalov will approach his match with Alcaraz in confident mood and will aim to capitalise on his momentum with another impressive win.
Alcaraz will target Shapovalov’s backhand with the forehand and will aim to improve his efficiency on his second serve. Meanwhile Shapovalov will look to take the ball early and put Alcaraz under pressure in the early stages of the match. This is a dangerous match for Alcaraz but as long as he can sustain the early storm from the Canadian then the Spaniard should edge out a tight contest.
Prediction: Alcaraz in three sets.
Coco Gauff [3] v Maria Sakkari [29] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Coco Gauff [3] v Maria Sakkari [29] | H2H: Sakkari leads 5-3 |
| Indian Wells 2025 | Indian Wells, USA |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $60,400 |
| Second on Stadium One (Not before 20:00 GMT) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
It has been a turbulent start to the year for Coco Gauff who has failed to capitalise on her WTA Finals title win towards the end of 2024. The American is struggling for form since the Australian Open as once again Gauff’s consistency and quality under pressure is being questioned. However, the third seed always seems to raise her game on home soil and will look to do the same in an attempt to build momentum ahead of the clay court season.
A rematch of last year’s semi-final awaits Gauff in the form of Maria Sakkari. The 29th seed knows all about struggling for form as she is yet to win back-to-back matches at a tournament this year. After exiting the world’s top ten, there was an expectation that there would be a reaction from Sakkari but the Greek is yet to find that inner fire as her form remains stagnant. Now last year’s finalist must have a good tournament in California or face a further plummet down the rankings.
Gauff will need to be at her dominant best on serve with the American aiming to cut down her unforced errors. Meanwhile Sakkari will look for depth on the forehand and suffocate the American from the baseline. The loser will lose a lot of ranking points and face further consequences to their ranking in a match that both players need to win. Gauff enters as slight favourite but don’t rule out a Sakkari upset given their recent head-to-head record.
Prediction: Gauff in three sets.
 |
|---|
Alex De Minaur [9] v Hubert Hurkacz [21] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Alex De Minaur [9] v Hubert Hurkacz [21] | H2H: Tied at 1-1 |
| Indian Wells 2025 | Indian Wells, USA |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $64,500 |
| Second on Stadium Three (19:30 GMT) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
It’s been an excellent start to the season for Alex De Minaur who has backed up his first Australian Open quarter-final with a final in Rotterdam. The Australian has really improved his serving and efficiency as the ninth seed is a regular feature of the world’s top ten. However, a couple of tough losses in the Middle East will add motivation for a good sunshine double as the Australian continues to find ways to improve his game.
Next for De Minaur is Hubert Hurkacz who was in exceptional form last year before suffering a bad knee injury at Wimbledon. The Pole has since struggled for consistency although a run to the semi-finals at Rotterdam would have given him hope that his best tennis isn’t that far away. Now Hurkacz aims to thrive in America like he usually does and earn big progress ahead of the clay court season.
Both players will aim to serve aggressively with De Minaur using the backhand to turn rallies in his favour while Hurkacz looks to finish points off at the net. This should be a tight contest with De Minaur entering this match as slight favourite in what could be one of the best matches of the tournament so far.
Prediction: De Minaur in three sets.
How to Watch/Follow Indian Wells 2025
| Live Stream | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required
TennisTV <- Subscription Required |
| Live Scores | Tennis Scores Powered By TNNSLIVE |
| Follow Britwatch - Sport in General, Brits in Particular! | |
|---|---|
| Soundcloud | |
| YouTube | |
| We may receive compensation for products purchased via affiliate links on this website | |