The singles quarterfinals will all be played on Thursday.
On a busy day of quarterfinals in the desert, Carlos Alcaraz, Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and Jannik Sinner will all be in action. Are we two rounds away from a pair of singles finals between the top two seeds? A few formidable foes look to spoil that idea in the quarterfinals.
Here’s a rundown of the most notable matches on Thursday (in chronological order, all times local):
Aryna Sabalenka (1) vs. Victoria Mboko (10) – 11:00am on Stadium 1
Both players have claimed all six sets they’ve contested this fortnight. Sabalenka is now 14-1 on the year, and the only two sets she’s lost during 2026 came in the Australian Open final. Mboko is an impressive 16-4, though one of those four losses came at the hands of Sabalenka in Melbourne.
Arthur Fils (30) vs. Alexander Zverev (4) – 11:00am on Stadium 2
Zverev comfortably ousted Frances Tiafoe in the last round, while Fils upset ninth-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime in straights, coming back from 0-5 in the second set tiebreak. Zverev leads their head-to-head 4-2, but they have split their two meetings on hard courts, with Fils prevailing in three sets just 12 months ago in Miami.
Learner Tien (25) vs. Jannik Sinner (2) – Not Before 1:00pm on Stadium 1
Sinner outlasted another young phenom, Joao Fonseca, on Tuesday night in a thrilling two-setter, decided by two tiebreaks. Earlier in the day, Tien saved two match points to take out Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, to achieve the 20-year-old’s best result at a Masters 1000 event to date. Less than six months ago in the final of Beijing, Sinner beat Tien 6-2, 6-2.
Linda Noskova (14) vs. Talia Gibson (Q) – Not Before 1:00pm on Stadium 2
Noskova easily dispatched of Alexandra Eala in the last round, dropping just two games. 21-year-old Gibson has now won six matches since the start of qualifying last week, and has upset three seeded players in a row (Alexandrova, Tauson, Paolini), in her WTA 1000 debut. This is a first-time meeting.
Elina Svitolina (9) vs. Iga Swiatek (2) – Not Before 2:30pm on Stadium 2
Swiatek is also yet to lose a set, and also lost just two games in the last round, against Karolina Muchova. This is a second consecutive Indian Wells quarterfinal for Svitolina, who is yet to face a seeded player. Iga has claimed four of their five encounters, with Elina’s sole victory coming on grass.
Jessica Pegula (5) vs. Elena Rybakina (3) – Not Before 5:00pm on Stadium 1
Rybakina is 15-3 this season, while Pegula is 16-2, in this quarterfinal between two of the WTA’s best players of 2026. Rybakina holds a slight 4-3 edge against Pegula, and has won their last three matchups, which includes a straight-set victory in the semifinals of January’s Australian Open.
Jack Draper (14) vs. Daniil Medvedev (11) – Not Before 5:00pm on Stadium 2
Medvedev seems to have rediscovered his form this year, with a record of 16-3, and two hard court titles. Draper survived a fantastic yet draining contest on Wednesday night against Novak Djokovic, eventually prevailing in a third-set tiebreak, so Jack will be anything but 100% less than 24 hours later. Their only previous meeting took place two years ago on clay, with Medvedev winning in straights.
Carlos Alcaraz (1) vs. Cameron Norrie (27) – Not Before 7:00pm on Stadium 1
Alcaraz is a perfect 15-0 this season, as he vies for his fifth consecutive semifinal at Indian Wells. Norrie was the champion here back in 2021, when this event was held in October. And he has not dropped a set to this stage, with a notable upset over sixth-seeded Alex de Minaur. Norrie has been very competitive against Alcaraz, as the World No.1 only leads their head-to-head by 5-3. On hard courts, they are tied at 2-2.
Thursday’s full Order of Play is here.
