We have arrived at the half-way mark at the BNP Paribas Open. Day 7 at the BNP Paribas Open brings some mouth-watering clashes between legendary players and also showcases what the future of tennis has to offer in a few years. Here are my daily preview and predictions for Day 7.
Indian Wells Day 7 Predictions
Roger Federer vs Stan Wawrinka
Head-To-Head Record: Federer leads 21-3.
Both players will know each other’s strengths and weaknesses inside out. They have played on both the opposite and same side of a tennis court many times in their careers.
Wawrinka last beat Federer in 2015 in Roland Garros. But it will be a big ask for Wawrinka to upset Federer here, as Wawrinka has never beaten Federer on a hard court- his three wins only coming on clay.
Federer did not play his best in the opening rounds in Dubai last week and looked shaky in the first half of the second set against Gojowczyk a couple of days ago. Because of this, I can see Federer physically being pushed to three sets, but I don’t really see Wawrinka eventually crossing the line.
Prediction: Federer in 3
Rafael Nadal vs Diego Schwartzman
Head-To-Head Record: Nadal leads 6-0
Rafael Nadal dispatched his previous opponent, Jared Donaldson, in just 72 minutes and looked in formidable form. If Nadal can play or be near at that same level, Schwartzman will find it tough to get past Nadal. In addition, Schwartzman’s best results have come on clay, and has only had mediocre results on hard court, so it will be a big ask for him to cause an upset on a surface he does not prefer. I cannot see Schwartzman troubling Nadal much, and I expect Nadal to get through in a straight forward manner.
Prediction: Nadal in 2
Marin Cilic vs Denis Shapovalov
Head-To-Head Record: Cilic leads 1-0
This is a tricky match to predict because you just do not know which Cilic turns up to the match. Sometimes he can be so inconsistent, and sometimes he looks like the player that won the US Open in 2014. Shapovalov has the weapons to beat Cilic for sure, but I still think Shapovalov is still not mature enough to win big matches on a consistent basis, and still needs more time to get more experience under his belt.
Prediction: Cilic in 2.
Karen Khachanov vs Andrey Rublev
Head-To-Head Record: Khachanov leads 2-1. (1-0 excluding Challenger matches)
This is the battle of the ‘Next Gen’. I can see this match-up turning into a big rivalry in a few years time. Both players love to hit the ball hard, especially Rublev. I would say Rublev is the equivalent of WTA’s Jelena Ostapenko – a player who loves to hit high-risk shots and aim for the lines.
Even though Khachanov is the seeded player coming into this tournament, he is not in great form. Before his second round win against Feliciano Lopez, he was on a 4 match losing streak. However, on the other hand, Rublev has had some good wins, and has the potential to cause an upset here.
Prediction: Rublev in three
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