The first quarterfinal spots at the Indian Wells Masters will be awarded on Tuesday, when several top-seeded tournaments are on the schedule. Alexander Zverev vs. Frances Tiafoe and Felix Auger-Aliassime vs. Arthur Fils.
(21) Frances Tiafoe vs. (4) Alexander Zverev
Zverev and Tiafoe will meet for the 10th time in their careers when they meet in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open on Tuesday. The head-to-head series is completely dominated by Zverev 8-1, and he has won six in a row since Tiafoe’s one-match comeback in 2017. Although the American has been competitive at times, Zverev’s five wins have been straightforward. It’s just a bad matchup for Tiafoe.
After defeating Matteo Berrettini and Brandon Nakashima, Zverev is looking for his third appearance in the Indian Wells quarterfinals. Tiafoe, who has been Acapulco’s runner for the past few weeks, continued his momentum with losses to Jenson Brooksby and Flavio Cobolli – who he lost to in Acapulco. There is a lot of tension in this contest given Tiafoe’s form over the past few weeks, but nothing about the draw suggests he is in a position to win.
Pick: Zverev at 2
(30) Arthur Fils vs. (9) Felix Auger-Aliassime
Fils’ return to tennis is only in his fourth tournament, but he is already in full flight. The 32nd-ranked Frenchman, who played just one event in 2025 following the French Open due to a back injury, reached the quarterfinals in Montpellier and finished second to Carlos Alcaraz in Doha. Fils now finds himself in the fourth round of Indian Wells thanks to straight wins over Dino Prizmic and Marton Fucsovics.
Next up for the 21-year-old is a second meeting with Auger-Aliassime, who dominated their first match 6-4, 6-2 last month in Montpellier. However, the hard court version of Auger-Aliassime is often not the same as what you see elsewhere. World No. 9 would be great anywhere, but it’s completely different indoors. In these Indian Wells conditions, the Fils have a good chance to pull off the upset. Auger-Aliassime is only 9-7 in the desert, this is only his second time past the third round, and he has never made it past the quarters.
Select: Enter 3
