Day 3 of the ATP Indian Wells Masters promises to be an absolute treat for tennis fans. Thrilling match ups are everywhere in the draw, and it’s only the third day of the event. Fourth seed Andrey Rublev kicks off his tournament, as does San Diego champion and sixth seed Casper Ruud. As well as this, we have separate articles with predicting more mouth-watering clashes. One features Denis Shapovalov vs Vasek Pospisil, the second highlights Daniil Medvedev vs Mackenzie MacDonald, and the third features Kei Nishikori vs Dan Evans. So, who will be advancing to the third round?
ATP Indian Wells Day 3 Predictions
Grigor Dimitrov vs Daniel Altmaier
Head-to-head: First meeting
This should be a lot of fun. Dimitrov is one of the most frustrating players on tour from the last decade, with flashes of world class talent often laced with inconsistency and poor decision making. The Bulgarian is still a brilliant player on his day and he showed glimpses of this during his semifinal run in San Diego last week. This is a match he’d be expected to win, but he’s unpredictable and his opponent is dangerous.
Altmaier put in an impressive performance to take down Sam Querrey in the first round. The young German hasn’t quite ascended as quickly as some were expecting, suffering some disappointing losses on the Challenger circuit this year. Despite that, his straight sets win over Querrey shows he’s definitely capable of mixing it with the top players. I’d expect him to put up a good fight here, but Dimitrov should just about put him away, if he can remain aggressive and consistent.
Prediction: Dimitrov in 3
Marcos Giron vs Filip Krajinovic
Head-to-head: Krajinovic 1 – 0 Giron
Marcos Giron continues to impress this season. He’s really solidified himself in the men’s game and is undoubtedly a danger to the top players, as shown by his wins over De Minaur and Millman in Sofia last week. His aggressive and powerful game from the baseline is rewarding him with some great results at the moment, and it should continue for the rest of the year.
Krajinovic comes into this tournament off the back of a strong showing in Sofia where he reached the final. The Serb has been very inconsistent in recent years, but when he’s playing well his level is very high. With players hitting some great form right now, this match should be a close one. Giron’s excellent win over Botic van de Zandschulp suggests that he’ll be the aggressor, and this is working in spades for him right now. I’ll back the American here.
Prediction: Giron in 3
Casper Ruud vs Roberto Carballes Baena
Head-to-head: Ruud 3- 0 Carballes Baena
Casper Ruud’s year just keeps getting better. After a stunning showing on the clay, where he won three consecutive titles, he’s translated to hard courts brilliantly. After taking down Opelka in straight sets at the Laver Cup, he went on to win his first hard court title in San Diego last week. His rapid ascension this year has been remarkable, and his #10 ranking represents just how good he’s been.
Carballes Baena is a clay court specialist, and could possibly favour the slower conditions here. However, Ruud has dominated every main draw meeting between them, which have all been on clay. With Ruud proving himself as a great player on and off the clay, the slower hard courts here could be an absolute dream for him. Expect Ruud to win this comfortably, and another good week from him too.
Prediction: Ruud in 2
Andrey Rublev vs Carlos Taberner
Head-to-head: First meeting
Andrey Rublev will be disappointed with his loss to Cameron Norrie in San Diego, but he played some scintillating tennis during the week. His forehand was an absolute bullet, and if plays anything like that this week he should have a great tournament. The Russian has been susceptible to losing matches he should win this year, but it’s unlikely he’ll lose early here.
Carlos Taberner did well to beat Munar in the first round. The Spaniard is knocking on the door of the top 100 and is showing some great promise right now. However, Rublev will be a mammoth task. The slower conditions may mean that more forehands come back into play than he’d like, but he’ll also have more time to tee off on them. That is a dangerous prospect for anyone in the draw.
Prediction: Rublev in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
