Second round singles action concludes on Saturday.
Carlos Alcaraz is a perfect 12-0 to start off the season, after winning his seventh Major title in Melbourne, and a 500-level title in Doha. He’s also a two-time champion in Indian Wells, though last year he suffered a surprising defeat in the semifinals at the hands of Jack Draper. On Saturday, Alcaraz makes his 2026 Indian Wells debut against Grigor Dimitrov, who has twice beaten Alcaraz at Masters 1000 events on hard courts.
The day’s schedule also sees Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, and Novak Djokovic play their opening round matches.
Here’s a rundown of the most notable matches on Saturday (in chronological order, all times local):
Hailey Baptiste vs. Elena Rybakina (3) – 11:00am on Stadium 1
Rybakina is 12-3 to begin the year, which is of course highlighted by her excellent run in Melbourne, where she claimed her second Major title. She was also the champion of this tournament back in 2023. 24-year-old Baptiste recently debuted inside the top 40, and achieved her first appearance in the second week of a Major last year at Roland Garros. Last summer in Montreal, Rybakina defeated Baptiste 6-4, 6-3.
Novak Djokovic (3) vs. Kamil Majchrzak – Not Before 1:00pm on Stadium 1
This is only the second event of the year for Djokovic, who continues to limit his schedule at this late stage of his career. After receiving some luck in the Australian Open draw, via both a withdrawal and a retirement, Novak played his best match in over a year to upset Jannik Sinner in the semifinals. Djokovic is a five-time Indian Wells champion, though his last title came all the way back in 2016. This past July at Wimbledon, 30-year-old Majchrzak reached the second week of a Major for the first time in his career. As per Tennis Abstract, this is Kamil’s first time facing a top five player.
Kayla Day (Q) vs. Iga Swiatek (2) – Not Before 1:00pm on Stadium 2
Swiatek won this tournament in both 2022 and 2024, and her 22 wins here are the most she owns at any WTA 1000 event. Day is a 26-year-old American qualifier who started the year by claiming two hard court titles at lower-level ITF events.
Karen Khachanov (16) vs. Joao Fonseca – Second on Stadium 3
This match was postponed from yesterday, as Khachanov is one of several players who was temporarily trapped in the middle east due to the ongoing attacks in the area. He is a modest 8-8 at Indian Wells. After a head-turning start to last season, 19-year-old Fonseca has not progressed as quickly as many of us expected. He is just 2-3 on the year, and has been battling a back injury. Just a few months ago at the Paris Masters, Khachanov overcame Fonseca in three sets.
Carlos Alcaraz (1) vs. Grigor Dimitrov – Third on Stadium 1
Dimitrov’s two victories over Alcaraz came at the 2023 Shanghai Masters and the 2024 Miami Masters. But Grigor missed almost four months of action last year after retiring at Wimbledon due to a pectoral injury, and is only 3-4 since returning. Overall Carlitos leads their head-to-head 4-2, and last year at this tournament, he easily beat Grigor 6-1, 6-1.
Jessica Pegula (5) vs. Donna Vekic (WC) – Not Before 6:00pm on Stadium 1
Pegula is a strong 13-2 this season, and won the title just a few weeks ago at the WTA 1000 event in Dubai. However, the American is only 8-7 lifetime in Indian Wells. Vekic is fighting to climb back up the rankings after a dismal 2025. She was ranked inside the top 20 just over a year ago, but now finds herself outside the world’s top 100. Pegula leads their head-to-head 2-0, with a pair of straight-set wins on grass.
Saturday’s full Order of Play is here.
