A full day of quarterfinal competition at the Indian Wells Masters is scheduled for Thursday, when Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev will take to the court. They will compete against Apprentice Tien and Arthur Fils, respectively.
(25) Student Tien vs. (2) Jannik Sinner
It will be an interesting contrast in styles when Sinner and Tien meet for the second time in their careers during the quarterfinals at the BNP Paribas Open on Thursday. Can Tien’s consistency and elite tennis IQ get the best of – or at least hold off – Sinner’s firepower? That was certainly not the case when they met in the Beijing final this past fall, when Sinner rolled to the title with a 6-2, 6-2 romp.
Tien has flirted with exiting Indian Wells several times over the past two days. The 20-year-old American needed two balls from Adam Walton, beat an ailing Ben Shelton in three tight sets, then saved two points before defeating Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Tuesday. Soni needed two tiebreakers against Joao Fonseca in the fourth round, but Fonseca played at a level that might have been good enough to beat anyone but Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz. Although this should be more competitive than their competition in Beijing, the world No. 2 should also have a significant advantage.
Choose: Sinner in 2
(30) Arthur Fils vs. (4) Alexander Zverev
Zverev and Fils will be playing each other for the seventh time in their careers on Thursday. The encounter has been a thrilling one, with Zverev leading the head-to-head series 4-2 and four of their meetings going to the final set – including the deciding set in the 2024 Hamburg final (which the Frenchman won). Fils also won 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 last spring in Miami, but Zverev won their latest match 7-6 (3), 6-1 on the red clay of Rome.
The Fils are on emergency status after a back injury for 2025. The world number 32 is 9-3 this season with a runner-up finish in Doha (lost to Alcaraz) and Indian Wells wins over Dino Prizmic, Marton Fucsovics, and Felix Auger-Aliassime. Remember, though, that Frances Tiafoe was also red in her match against Zverev on Tuesday and the German won 6-3, 6-4. Zverev’s streak includes straight sets against Matteo Berrettini and a three-set victory over Brandon Nakashima. Although the world number 4 has never made it past the Indian Wells venues, the desert conditions are good for his game. Along with Alcaraz and Sinner, Zverev has been a staple of semi-finals at the world’s biggest tournaments in recent years – and that should be a story in the desert.
Pick: Zverev at 2
