The first round competition at the Indian Wells Masters wraps up on Thursday, when regular rivals Grigor Dimitrov and Terence Atmane square off. Delray Beach champion Sebastian Korda faces Francisco Comesana.
Terence Atmane vs. Grigor Dimitrov
Dimitrov and Atmane will go head-to-head for the second time in a row when they meet again in the first round of the BNP Paribas Open on Thursday. They split their previous two encounters; Dimitrov won 7-6 (3), 6-3 at the 2024 Rome Masters before the newly recruited Atmane was beaten 6-3, 6-3 last week in Acapulco.
Still, there are reasons to think that Dimitrov will turn things around. Every match he plays, he is further and further removed from his 2025 skin injury which he tragically suffered at Wimbledon against Jannik Sinner. The 34-year-old Bulgarian has also been successful in Indian Wells, where he has reached the semifinals, quarters, and fourth round twice in his last five outings. Atmane hasn’t been able to sustain success since his 2025 Cincinnati semifinal run and has yet to win a game in the desert (0-2 all-time, with both qualifying losses).
Pick: Dimitrov at 3
Sebastian Korda vs. Francisco Comesana
Korda heads into Indian Wells on the momentum of his Delray Beach medal less than two weeks ago. The 37th-ranked American cruised to his third ATP singles trophy with wins over Alex Michelsen, No. 2 Casper Ruud, Acapulco champion Flavio Cobolli, and world No. 24 Tommy Paul. Although Korda hasn’t done much in Indian Wells, he once led Rafael Nadal 5-2 in the third set in a second-round match in 2022 before failing to seal the deal.
The winner of this 25-year-old player on Thursday is Comesana, whom he has never faced. Comesana is just 3-6 this season and is coming off of the dreaded Golden Swing even on his preferred clay court. The 82nd-ranked Argentine lost in the second round of the Rosario Challenger, the first round of Buenos Aires, the first round of Rio de Janeiro, and the second round of Santiago. Comesana is making her first appearance at Indian Wells, and it’s an appearance that likely won’t last long.
Select: Korda in 2
