Day five at Indian Wells and three of our predicted matches include former Masters champions (and a former champ at Indian Wells) with Jordan Thompson stopping it from being four with his win over Stefanos Tsitsipas. Will it be smooth sailing for our Masters’ champs or will we see some upsets in round three? Here are our thoughts at LWOT.
ATP Indian Wells Day 5 Predictions
Cameron Norrie vs Taro Daniel
Head-to-head: Daniel 2-0 Norrie (all levels)
Tennis’s iron man, the man with the second most wins this season, Cam Norrie, is here for a revenge match against Taro Daniel. The Japanese won their clash in Indian Wells in 2018 (this was also the year Daniel defeated Djokovic) but it goes without saying Norrie is a different player nowadays.
Daniel may have defeated Matteo Berrettini but the Italian is arguably not a top player on hard courts, especially when carrying an injury. Norrie’s game is so repeatable yet difficult to attack–we haven’t seen anything from Daniel that would make us confident he can sustain his level long enough to get the win against the former champ.
Prediction: Norrie in 2.
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Karen Khachanov vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
Head-to-head: Davidovich Fokina 1-0 Khachanov
A win here, a loss there–on hard courts, this pattern sounds about right for the incredibly talented Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. For all his baseline prowess, his serve leaves him fighting the odds on this surface.
He has absolutely got a chance against Karen Khachanov however. If he chooses to go defensive with his return position, he could turn this match into a bit of a slog. The level seems to come and go for the Russian outside of the Slams so the win is there for the taking if Davidovich Fokina can make things physical enough.
Prediction: Davidovich Fokina in 3.
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Jordan Thompson vs Alejandro Tabilo
Head-to-head: First meeting
Who pulled off the more impressive victory? Jordan Thompson may have defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas but the Greek was far from his best, his shoulder injury impeding him from reaching his usual heights (he won two return points in their first set).
On the other hand, Alejandro Tabilo was given a tricky first round against Maxime Cressy and passed with flying colours. The left-hander covered his serve incredibly well, stepped up in the pressure moments, and excelled from the ground in conditions that give him a little more time on the forehand.
Impressiveness is relative to the level we expect from these players, however. Despite technically impressing less, Thompson is still looking like the better of the two players. We’re backing him by a whisker here.
Prediction: Thompson in 3.
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Daniil Medvedev vs Ilya Ivashka
Head-to-head: Medvedev 6-1 Ivashka (all levels)
Ilya Ivashka is an interesting player. Watching him can be as good as professional tennis gets–he has all the shots and the physicality to boot. When the going gets tight, however, the Belarusian is missing the killer instinct of his higher-ranked peers.
The conditions don’t suit Daniil Medvedev’s metronomic game to a tee and Ivashka’s an intelligent enough player to know he doesn’t have to redline to be in with a chance here. However, Medvedev will be ready to take advantage when things inevitably get tight over two close sets.
Prediction: Medvedev in 2.
Main Photo Credit: Andy Abeyta/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK
