Indian Wells 2026 Day 4 Recap

Day 4 at Indian Wells saw the tournament move into full swing, with the top seeds in action, the wind making life awkward, and the Round of 64 delivering a mix of routine wins and hard-fought comebacks.

Carlos Alcaraz cruised past Grigor Dimitrov to maintain his clinical start to the season, while Novak Djokovic shook off a set of rust and the gusts to win his first match since the Australian Open final.

João Fonseca thrilled the fans on Stadium 3 with a great escape that included saving match points, and Gabriel Diallo landed one of the biggest punches of his draw so far by knocking out Andrey Rublev in a three-hour clash.

Throw in Taylor Fritz surviving four match points, De Minaur fighting past Korda, and Draper’s mid-match reset, and you have an interesting day’s play.

Here are all the results, key matches, and what’s coming up on Day 5.

Day Four 2026 BNP Paribas Open Round of 64 Results

Winner	Loser	Scoreline
(1) Carlos Alcaraz	Grigor Dimitrov	6-2, 6-3
(26) Arthur Rinderknech	Juan Manuel Cerundolo	W/O
(24) Valentin Vacherot	Nuno Borges	7-5, 7-5
(13) Casper Ruud	Alexander Shevchenko	6-1, 7-6(4)
(10) Alexander Bublik	Vít Kopřiva (LL)	3-6, 7-6(3), 6-2
Rinky Hijikata (Q)	(20) Luciano Darderi	4-6, 6-2, 6-4
(27) Cameron Norrie	Mackenzie McDonald (Q)	6-2, 6-3
(6) Alex de Minaur	Sebastian Korda	4-6, 6-4, 6-4
(3) Novak Djokovic	Kamil Majchrzak	4-6, 6-1, 6-2
Aleksandar Kovacevic	(31) Corentin Moutet	6-1, 6-4
(19) Francisco Cerundolo	Benjamin Bonzi (Q)	6-4, 5-7, 7-6(5)
(14) Jack Draper	Roberto Bautista Agut	3-6, 6-3, 6-2
(11) Daniil Medvedev	Alejandro Tabilo	6-4, 6-2
Sebastian Baez	(22) Jiri Lehecka	6-4, 6-1
Alex Michelsen	(32) Ugo Humbert	7-5, 6-7(5), 7-6(6)
(7) Taylor Fritz	Jacob Fearnley	6-3, 6-7(8), 6-1
Gabriel Diallo	(17) Andrey Rublev	6-7(4), 7-6(1), 6-3
Joao Fonseca	(16) Karen Khachanov	4-6, 7-6(7), 6-4

Key Matches

(1) Carlos Alcaraz def. Grigor Dimitrov 6-2, 6-3

Alcaraz delivered a rock-solid second-round performance in 66 minutes, extending his 2026 win streak to 13 matches.

Given Dimitrov’s level of late, it was hard to see Alcaraz being tested, and he dominated from the baseline with pinpoint forehands despite blustery winds. 

Alcaraz called the conditions tough but was thrilled: “I adapted my game better… I’m really, really happy.” He leads the H2H 5-2, and I only see that being extended should the two meet again this year.

Next: 26th seed Arthur Rinderknech (5-0 H2H), who advanced via a walkover from Juan Manuel Cerundolo (left leg injury).

(3) Novak Djokovic def. Kamil Majchrzak 4-6, 6-1, 6-2

Djokovic overcame rust and gusty winds in his first match since the Australian Open final loss to Alcaraz, rallying after dropping the opener.

Novak has never been the best wind player, but he reset in the latter two sets with greater baseline consistency and aggression, closing in 2 hours 12 minutes.

It feels strange that he hasn’t been past the fourth round here since 2017, given he’s won 5 times, so I’m unsure if he will be a factor in the latter rounds. Next: Aleksandar Kovacevic.

Joao Fonseca def. (16) Karen Khachanov 4-6, 7-6(7), 6-4

The 19-year-old Brazilian produced a thrilling comeback, saving two match points in the second-set tiebreak (blasting a forehand return winner on the first, then an ace on the second). He rode the momentum to a double-break lead in the decider, finishing with 32 winners in an electric Stadium 3 atmosphere filled with Brazilian fans.

Fonseca has been disappointing so far this season, and I’ve often dismissed him as a hype merchant due to his financial backing/background. But of course, he’s clearly a level above the Romeo Beckham types of this world, and to see off Khachanov when facing match points is impressive.

Next: Tommy Paul

Gabriel Diallo def. (17) Andrey Rublev 6-7(4), 7-6(1), 6-3

A big upset as the Canadian (world No. 38) rallied from dropping the first-set tiebreak, winning the next two in nearly three hours.

Diallo fired 12 aces and 40 winners (with 44 unforced errors), saving 3/5 break points and converting 4/7.

Diallo has had a poor start to 2026 (after a solid 2025), whereas Rublev had strong recent form but couldn’t maintain it. Diallo advances to face fellow Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime next.

Other notables from Day 4

Highlights

Indian Wells 2026 Day 5 Round of 32 Matches