Second round play at Indian Wells wraps up on Saturday, with Carlos Alcaraz and Alex de Minaur getting two weeks off. They will face Grigor Dimitrov and Sebastian Korda, respectively.
(1) Carlos Alcaraz vs. Grigor Dimitrov
Alcaraz and Dimitrov will meet for the seventh time in their careers when they meet in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open on Saturday. Their last meeting came in the fourth round of the same tournament 12 months ago, when Alcaraz rolled 6-1, 6-1 to take a 4-2 lead in the head-to-head series.
While this is a tent match in terms of word recognition, it may be another lost story. Dimitrov has played just eight matches since being injured at Wimbledon last summer and is just 2-4 this season after defeating Terence Atmane in three sets on Thursday. Alcaraz, meanwhile, is 12-0 so far this year with a win at the Australian Open at the Doha ATP 500. In addition, the top-ranked Spaniard is 20-3 all-time at Indian Wells with two titles. The conditions are perfect for his game, so he should get through his opening game.
Pick: Alcaraz at 2
Sebastian Korda vs. (6) Alex de Minaur
When healthy, Korda can be one of the most dangerous players on tour – and he is right now. The 37th-ranked American is on a six-match winning streak that includes a title in Delray Beach and a 7-5, 6-0 victory over Francisco Comesana on Thursday night. Korda’s Delray Beach victory came at the expense of Alex Michelsen, Casper Ruud, Flavio Cobolli, and Tommy Paul, so it wasn’t a fluke.
Next up for the 25-year-old on Saturday is a fifth game against De Minaur, who leads the head-to-head series 3-1. However, all four of their encounters have come in favor of the Australians (two on grass, two on indoor hard courts). A hard court with a slow, high bounce will be favored by Korda. In fact, De Minaur is only 9-7 in the tournament without a trip to the quarterfinals. Sound an angry warning.
Select: Korda in 3
