First round singles action concludes on Thursday at Indian Wells.
It features several Major singles champions, including a first round contest between two such players, as Americans Sloane Stephens and Sofia Kenin square off. Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka, and Dominic Thiem will also compete on Thursday, as will players who have recently broken through at Majors such as Emma Raducanu and Ben Shelton.
Each day, this preview will analyze the two most intriguing matchups, while highlighting other notable matches on the schedule. Thursday’s play gets underway at 11:00am local time.
Ben Shelton vs. Fabio Fognini – Second on Stadium 2
20-year-old Shelton achieved his first Major quarterfinal this past January in Melbourne, in only his second main draw appearance at a Grand Slam event. The nwecomer took advantage of an open quarter of the draw, eventually outlasting fellow American J.J. Wolf in a five-setter to reach the quarters. But Ben arrives in tennis paradise on a three-match losing streak, dating back to his Australian Open quarterfinal loss to Tommy Paul.
Fognini is only 9-11 lifetime at Indian Wells, and hasn’t advanced beyond the third round since 2014. And the 35-year-old is 1-5 in 2023, with his only win coming last month on clay over a player ranked 196th in the world.
Can the young American get back on the winning track over the Italian veteran? In his first career meeting against Fognini, Shelton’s power game should allow him to dictate the outcome, especially since Fabio has a losing record on hard courts dating back to 2019.
Sloane Stephens vs. Sofia Kenin (WC) – Not Before 6:00pm on Stadium 1
Stephens is 11-11 lifetime at Indian Wells, and 4-5 on the season, with those four victories coming against players ranked 89th or lower. Kenin is 2-3 at Indian Wells, and 5-6 this season, having lost five of her last six matches.
These two American champions played just last summer in Toronto, in an extended battle which saw Sloane prevail 7-5 in the third. That match was over three hours long, not including several rain delays. And Stephens won despite letting Kenin back into the match after initially gaining a 6-2, 5-1 lead.
Considering Kenin has only won nine tour-level matches since June of 2021, it’s hard not to favor Stephens to be victorious again on Thursday. But another tight contest is likely, between two Major champions who are undoubtedly eager to regain confidence and momentum. And neither’s playing style gives them a decided advantage over the other.
Other Notable Matches on Thursday:
Stan Wawrinka (PR) vs. Aleksandar Vukic (Q) – Wawrinka is 6-5 to start 2023, and reached back-to-back quarterfinals last month in Rotterdam and Marseille. Vukic is a 26-year-old Australian who has now qualified for three ATP-level events this year.
Danka Kovinic vs. Emma Raducanu – Raducanu is 2-2 this season, and hasn’t played since the Australian Open. She’s expressed doubt as to if she can even play this match, as she’s still dealing with a lingering wrist injury. Kovinic began this year by reaching the semifinals in Auckland. And she’s 1-0 against Emma, having defeated her at last year’s Australian Open in three sets.
Tomas Martin Etcheverry vs. Andy Murray – Murray is off to an exciting start to his season. After his thrilling run in Melbourne, Andy was a finalist two weeks ago in Doha, saving eight match points to reach that stage. Etcheverry is a 23-year-old who was the runner-up just last week in Santiago on clay.
Dominic Thiem (WC) vs. Adrian Mannarino – The 2020 US Open champion has struggled to regain his form following a serious wrist injury, and is now 1-7 this year at all levels. But he is 8-1 against Mannarino, though the French veteran claimed their most recent meeting, two years ago in Mallorca in grass.
Thursday’s full Order of Play is here.
