It’s Quarterfinal Thursday in Indian Wells, the only day of this fortnight before the finals when all remaining singles players are in action.
Iga Swiatek is a four-time Roland Garros champion, yet a year ago during the semifinals of the Paris Olympics on those same grounds, she was upset by Qinwen Zheng, who went on to win the gold medal. On Thursday, Swiatek gets a chance to avenge that painful loss. The winner will face either Mirra Andreeva or Elina Svitolina.
In the other half of the WTA singles draw, Aryna Sabalenka and Madison Keys are just one round away from a rematch of their dramatic Australian Open final. But first, Sabalenka must overcome Liudmila Samsonova, while Keys will be challenged by Belinda Bencic.
The men’s singles quarterfinals are headlined by a battle between young, big-serving lefties, as Ben Shelton faces Jack Draper. Plus, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, and Holger Rune will all play their quarterfinals on Thursday.
This preview will analyze the two most prominent matches of the day, while taking note of the other singles quarterfinals. Thursday’s play gets underway at 11:00am local time.
Qinwen Zheng (8) vs. Iga Swiatek (2) – 11:00am on Stadium 1
At last summer’s Olympics in Paris, Swiatek was a considerable favorite to win gold. But it was Qinwen that stopped Swiatek’s 26-match win streak on the grounds of Roland Garros, with a 6-2, 7-5 victory. That also put an end to a six-match win streak Iga owned over Zheng.
And it’s now been over nine months since Swiatek has won a title. However, she is a two-time and defending champion at Indian Wells, and she is vying for her fourth consecutive semifinal here. Iga is now 17-4 in 2025, and in typical fashion, has only lost six games through six sets this fortnight.
Qinwen arrived in “Tennis Paradise” just 1-3 on the year, after falling in the second round of the Australian Open a year after reaching the final there. But like Swiatek, she’s also yet to drop a set in this draw, and is surely happy to have Pere Riba back in her coaching box at this event, as he missed the Australian after undergoing hip surgery. Riba was also in her coaching box when she defeated Swiatek at the Olympics.
Yet at Iga’s winningest WTA 1000 tournament, I favor the defending champion to gain a modicum of revenge. She rarely loses on courts that play this slowly, and unlike the Olympics, these players will not have the pressure (or motivation) of winning a medal for their countries impacting their play on Thursday.
Ben Shelton (11) vs. Jack Draper (13) Not Before 5:00pm on Stadium 2
22-year-old Shelton and 23-year-old Draper currently hold a nearly identical amount of ranking points, and both are on the verge of making their top 10 debuts. Both are also yet to drop a set during this event, as they are arguably playing the best tennis of their young careers. This will be the first of likely many career meetings between these two rising stars.
Shelton is 10-4 on the year, after achieving his second Major semifinal in Melbourne. Draper is 10-2 on the year, notably advancing to the final of Doha just a few weeks ago. And while Jack failed to advance beyond the fourth round in Melbourne, he certainly made a lasting impression by surviving three five-setters in as many rounds.
These powerful lefties have similar games, and both have made strides to add more variety to their arsenals. But the big difference between the two is Draper’s elite returning abilities. As Tennis Channel highlighted during his upset over Taylor Fritz on Wednesday, Jack won 25% of his return games last season, placing him near the top of the list in that statistic. Shelton’s return game remains a work in progress, evidenced by the fact that of his 13 of his 38 completed sets this season have been decided by tiebreaks. On the slower-playing hard courts Indian Wells provides, the better returner will have a distinct advantage, making Draper the favorite.
Other Notable Matches on Thursday:
Tallon Griekspoor vs. Holger Rune (12) – Rune upset an in-form Stefanos Tsitsipas in the last round, while Griekspoor upset top-seeded Alexander Zverev three rounds ago. Tallon is 2-0 against Holger, though both of those matches took place on clay.
Arthur Fils (20) vs. Daniil Medvedev (5) – Medvedev easily ousted Tommy Paul on Tuesday. This is a first Masters 1000 quarterfinal for Fils. Daniil claimed their only prior encounter, two years ago in Vienna.
Mirra Andreeva (9) vs. Elina Svitolina (23) – Andreeva dominated Elena Rybakiuna in the round of 16, the same round where Svitolina came from a set down to defeat Jessica Pegula. Since Russia’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine, Elina is 9-1 against Russian players, though this is her first meeting with Mirra.
Madison Keys (5) vs. Belinda Bencic (WC) – Keys is now on a 15-match winning streak, after taking back-to-back three setters over Elise Mertens and Donna Vekic. Bencic is now 17-4 on the year, after upsetting Coco Gauff on Wednesday. Madison and Belinda’s head-to-head is split at two-a-piece.
Aryna Sabalenka (1) vs. Liudmila Samsonova (24) – Sabalenka hasn’t lost a set through three rounds, bringing her 2025 record to 15-3. This is another head-to-head that stands at two-a-piece, with all four matches occurring on hard courts.
Francisco Cerundolo (25) vs. Carlos Alcaraz (2) – Alcaraz has won 15 straight matches at Indian Wells, and has advanced to this quarterfinal with ease. Cerundolo upset Alex de Minaur in straight sets on Wednesday. Last June at Queen’s Club, Carlitos eliminated Francisco in straights.
Thursday’s full Order of Play is here.
