With the 32 seeded players in each singles draw receiving first round byes, Friday is the first day where seeds see action, as the second round begins.
No ATP player is hotter than Daniil Medvedev, who arrives on a 14-match winning streak. He faces American Brandon Nakashima in the second round. Medvedev’s close friend, Andrey Rublev, takes on fast-rising Czech Jiri Lehecka. Other ATP action on Friday includes two of the top three seeds: Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud.
On the WTA side, American No.1 Jessica Pegula caps off the night session against Italy’s Camila Giorgi. Other matches feature newly-crowned Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, American No.2 Coco Gauff, and a red-hot Barbora Krejcikova.
Each day, this preview will analyze the two most intriguing matchups, while highlighting other notable matches on the schedule. Friday’s play gets underway at 11:00am local time.
Andrey Rublev (6) vs. Jiri Lehecka – Last on Stadium 3
Rublev was the runner-up to Medvedev just last week in Dubai, yet is a modest 9-6 to start the year. He was a semifinalist here a year ago, losing to eventual champion Taylor Fritz.
Lehecka is a 21-year-old who started the season ranked 81st in the world, yet has already broken through to the top 50 with 14 match wins. He was a surprise quarterfinalist at the Australian Open, where he defeated three seeded players (Coric, Norrie, Auger-Aliassime). And he followed that up with a semifinal run in Doha, where he defeated Rublev in the quarters.
That Doha quarterfinal saw Jiri prevail 6-3 in the third. Their only other previous encounter occurred last season on clay in Belgrade, where Andrey won 6-2 in the third. Lehecka has a big game and serve, and in their Doha matchup, Rublev was only able to break him once. Jiri’s results this year, and his recent victory over Andrey, will give him plenty of confidence. I favor Lehecka to earn another victory over Rublev on Friday.
Camila Giorgi vs. Jessica Pegula (3) – Not Before 8:00pm on Stadium 1
Pegula is 13-4 in 2023, and continues to perform extremely consistently, having reached the quarters or better at every tournament she’s entered. However, she is a modest 4-4 at Indian Wells.
Giorgi remains quite a streaky player, but is coming off a title run just two weeks ago in Merida. She defeated Arantxa Rus in straight sets on Wednesday, but is only 5-5 at Indian Wells.
Pegula is 6-2 against Giorgi at all levels, which includes two victories in 2022, both of which went to 7-5 in the third. The slower-paced hard courts at Indian Wells do not favor Camila’s power game, so I like Jess to defeat the Italian again on Friday night.
Other Notable Matches on Friday:
Diego Schwartzman vs. Casper Ruud (3) – Ruud is just 3-4 to start the year, and 3-2 in the main draw at Indian Wells. Schwartzman has only won two of his last 15 matches dating back to the US Open. Diego leads their head-to-head 5-3.
Jordan Thompson vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas (2) – Tsitsipas is 11-2 on the season, and 5-4 lifetime at Indian Wells. Thompson defeated a returning-from-injury Gael Monfils in the opening round. Stefanos is 2-0 against Jordan.
Evgeniya Rodina vs. Aryna Sabalenka (2) – Sabalenka lost to Krejcikova in the quarterfinals of Dubai, and is just 4-3 in the desert of California. Rodina is a 34-year-old veteran who is 0-2 against Sabalenka.
Barbora Krejcikova (16) vs. Dayana Yastremska (WC) – Krejcikova was the champion just two weeks ago in Dubai, where she defeated the top three players in the world. Yastremska has been ranked as high as No.21, but has struggled to rebuild her ranking after a doping suspension in 2021. Barbora and Dayana have split two previous meetings.
Maria Sakkari (7) vs. Shelby Rogers – Sakkari was the runner-up here a year ago, and could fall out of the top 8 in the world without another strong run this year. Rogers was a quarterfinalist two years ago, and she is 3-0 against Sakkari.
Yibing Wu (WC) vs. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (23) – These are two of the ATP’s speediest players. Yibing, the Dallas champion last month, survived a third-set tiebreak on Wednesday evening. Davidovich Fokina lost a third-set tiebreak of his own last week against Rublev in Dubai.
Daniil Medvedev (5) vs. Brandon Nakashima – Medvedev has won three hard court titles in as many weeks. Nakashima defeated John Isner in the first round, and won two hard court titles during the fall.
Coco Gauff (6) vs. Cristina Bucsa (Q) – Gauff is 2-2 lifetime thus far at Indian Wells, but is 11-3 to start the year, having won a title in Auckland. Bucsa has already won three matches this week in straight sets, having come through qualifying.
Friday’s full Order of Play is here.
