Second round singles action begins on Friday, which sees seeded players play their opening matches.
Defending champion Iga Swiatek, who is now a two-time champ in Indian Wells, begins her title defense on Friday against the always dangerous Caroline Garcia. Other WTA competition on Friday features Olympic gold medalist Qinwen Zheng taking on two-time Major champion Victoria Azarenka. World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka will not play her first match until Saturday.
On the men’s side, top-seeded Alexander Zverev plays his opening match against Tallon Griekspoor, who is coming off a semifinal run in Dubai, where he defeated Daniil Medvedev. A two-time runner-up at this tournament, Medvedev also plays his first match of this fortnight on Friday . Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz will have to wait until Saturday for his opening contest.
This preview will analyze the two most prominent matches of the day, while taking note of the other singles quarterfinals. Friday’s play gets underway at 11:00am local time.
Alexander Zverev (1) vs. Tallon Griekspoor – 11:00am on Stadium 1
With Jannik Sinner serving a three-month suspension for his failed drug tests from a year ago, Zverev has a golden opportunity to reach the World No.1 ranking for the first time in his career. Yet Sascha went a disappointing 4-3 during February, and still remains over 3,000 points behind Jannik. The German is a modest 13-8 in Indian Wells, and this is the only Masters 1000 event where he is yet to advance beyond the quarterfinals.
Griekspoor is just 3-3 at this tournament, and has never advanced to a quarterfinal at any Masters 1000 event. But he arrived in “Tennis Paradise” with some confidence after winning a trio of three-setters last week in Dubai. That run featured victories over two top 15 players (Humbert, Medvedev). Tallon won another three-setter in the first round on Wednesday over Miomir Kecmanovic.
These players have met seven times within the last four years, with Zverev leading Griekspoor 6-1. Sascha has taken their last five matches, though two of those went to a final-set tiebreak, including an extremely long five-setter last season at Roland Garros. I expect another tight contest on Friday, though Zverev should still be favored to win his sixth consecutive match against Griekspoor.
Iga Swiatek (2) vs. Caroline Garcia – Not Before 1:00pm on Stadium 1
Swiatek is a superb 18-2 on the historically slower-playing hard courts of Indian Wells, with titles in both 2022 and 2024. But she arrives in the desert having not won a title since Roland Garros last June, and having not reached a final since then either. Iga will be eager to gather some momentum heading into what is usually the strongest part of her year: clay court season.
Garcia comes into this match with losses in five of her last seven matches, and she shut down her 2024 season early due to issues with anxiety and panic attacks. Yet her aggressive game allows her a shot at hitting her opponent off the court on any given day. Caroline is 12-10 lifetime at this event.
Their head-to-head stands at 4-1 in Swiatek’s favor, and a decisive 4-0 on hard courts, with Garcia’s only victory surprisingly coming on clay. However, their last two matches on this surface both went the distance. But with Caroline lacking in match play and confidence, Iga is a considerable favorite to advance.
Other Notable Matches on Friday:
Yunchaokete Bu vs. Daniil Medvedev (5) – Medvedev is a modest 8-5 to start the season, and is yet to win three consecutive matches during 2025. Bu is a 23-year-old who won 48 matches at all levels last year, but came into this event losing five of his last six contests.
Qinwen Zheng (8) vs. Victoria Azarenka – Qinwen is currently on a three-match losing streak, after losing in the second round of the Australian Open a year after making the final. Azarenka is a two-time Indian Wells champion, and also reached the final in 2021, though she hasn’t been beyond the third round since. However, Vika leads this head-to-head 2-0, with two hard court victories.
Friday’s full Order of Play is here.
