Eight men’s singles matches are on the schedule on day six at the ATP Indian Wells Masters. It promises to be an entertaining day of tennis with a host of star names in action and, as always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the schedule, including Carlos Alcaraz vs Tallon Griekspoor. But who will come out on top?
ATP Indian Wells Day 6 Predictions
Jannik Sinner vs Adrian Mannarino
Head-to-head: Sinner 2-0 Mannarino
Adrian Mannarino is always a tricky customer and he proved that again with wins over Dominic Thiem and Lorenzo Musetti here already. With his flat ball striking and rather small weight of shot, conditions like in Indian Wells are usually very tough for him. This is probably where his road comes to an end against Jannik Sinner, but the Italian shouldn’t make the mistake many have made in the past by underestimating the crafty Frenchman.
Prediction: Sinner in 2
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Francisco Cerundolo vs Felix Auger-Aliassime
Head-to-head: Auger-Aliassime 1-0 Cerundolo
They’ve just played at the Australian Open with Felix Auger-Aliassime winning in four sets. The Canadian looked very vulnerable in the previous round against Pedro Martinez, mostly due to his struggles with converting break points (15/17). Auger-Aliassime has never had a big run in Indian Wells and the lack of pop from the surface here is fairly tough for him to overcome. If Cerundolo can hit his forehand well in these conditions, he actually has a solid shot at the upset.
Prediction: Cerundolo in 3
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Taylor Fritz vs Sebastian Baez
Head-to-head: Fritz 1-0 Baez
Could the defending champion be a little vulnerable in this year’s edition? Perhaps we’ve already seen that he can thanks to Ben Shelton and a couple of very long battles with the likes of Jaume Munar or Alex de Minaur he had early in the event last time. Sebastian Baez has barely been winning hard-court matches in the past year or so, but these conditions are actually fairly suitable for him. It shouldn’t be enough to take out Fritz though.
Prediction: Fritz in 2
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Jack Draper vs Andy Murray
Head-to-head: first meeting
Jack Draper is playing for the first time since the Australian Open, but it looks like the leg injury that forced him to withdraw from Doha is definitely a thing of the past. Andy Murray finally got his first straight-sets win of the season against Radu Albot on Saturday. Is the veteran well-equipped to handle the loopy topspin forehand on the future of British tennis? Yes, probably, but Draper’s level frankly seems a lot higher now than Murray’s, with the veteran having won most of his recent matches via determination more than quality.
Prediction: Draper in 3
Main photo credit: Jonathan Hui-USA TODAY Sports
