The likes of Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Aryna Sabalenka and Victoria Mboko have already booked their spots in the last-eight, with four more spots up for grabs from four highly anticipated matches from both the ATP and WTA events.
Repeat of 2022 US Open final on the cards
1000 title. Three of those came from last season from six events competed in,
summing up the ridiculous domination and form the Spaniard is currently
enjoying. Currently on a 14-match unbeaten run on the ATP Tour, the world
number one last lost in the ATP Finals final to his arch-rival Jannik Sinner. Already
picking up wins over Grigor Dimitrov and Arthur Rinderknech, the 22-year-old is
getting along with his business quite nicely.
A certain Casper Ruud will be his last-16 tie. Competing in
a first Masters 1000 tournament as a dad, the Norwegian picked up a maiden title
in this category at the Madrid Open last year, defeating the reigning champion
at Indian Wells, Jack Draper, for glory. A similar pattern in his results
compared to Alcaraz: taking down Alexander Shevchenko in two sets before it
went the distance against Valentin Vacherot. Ruud has his work cut out against
Alcaraz, winning just two of the seven matchups. One of these defeats came in
the 2022 US Open final, Alcaraz’s first major triumph.
Five-time champion versus reigning champion
A very highly anticipated tie with the British number one, Jack Draper, looking at a stark dip down the rankings if he is unable to recoup
most of the 1000 points clinched last year when he stormed to a glorious title.
He will be hoping to try to do the same this year, with him finally gaining some
momentum on court after a long time out injured. He performed brilliantly
against Roberto Bautista Agut to come back and win in three sets before coming
through a tough test against Francisco Cerundolo to set up a clash against the player he describes as the ‘greatest player of all time.’
to the fourth round at Indian Wells for the first time since 2017. Beforehand, he won both Sunshine swing Masters 1000 events in 2014, 2015 as well as 2016 in
a dominant streak. He was unable to continue that to this day but the form the
38-year-old has shown in 2026 proves that he is not finished yet, able to
defeat anyone on his day. Two three-set clashes so far in this tournament,
first a comeback win against Kamil Majchrzak before surviving a scare against an
impressive Aleksandar Kovacevic. He will need to up his level, if not then an onslaught
from Draper could be on the cards.
Medvedev faces Michelsen while former champion takes on
qualifier
Daniil Medvedev comes into this tournament in great form
after winning the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. The Russian struggles
to make it out of the Middle East amid the ongoing conflict occurring there, but
he made it and is looking good so far in California. The two-time finalist is yet
to taste the ultimate prize in Indian Wells but straight set wins over South
American pair Alejandro Tabilo and Sebastian Baez put him in a good position
to pounce.
It could have been Taylor Fritz in his next matchup, but the American
number one suffered a surprising upset against Alex Michelsen. He is really
making an impression on home soil with the 21-year-old looking for a second Masters
1000 quarterfinal appearance. He will need to complete something that he has
never done before: defeat the Russian. Their first meeting lasted just two
games before the 21-year-old called it a round earlier this time last year. Their
most recent came at the start of the year in the Brisbane International. Medvedev
took him down in the semi-final enroute to becoming the champion.
Daniil Medvedev has won two ATP titles in 2026 so far
Talking about champions, Cameron Norrie was an unlikely
winner back in 2021, but since then, a couple of quarterfinal appearances have
made him a force to be reckoned with in this tournament. He backed this up with
a huge win over Alex de Minaur in the third round, defeating the world number six
with both players competing at a high level.
One of two former British champions currently still in
action, very few expected Rinky Hijikata to make it this far. The qualifier has
so far got massive wins over Francesco Maestrelli, Chile Open champion Luciano
Darderi and the world number 10 Alexander Bublik. The Aussie will be brimming
with confidence and will not be fazed by Norrie, who comes across as a
different challenge compared to his other victims.
Swiatek set for challenge against inform opponent
not going into this one as the favourite but will be looking to mount a title
challenge amid a continuous dip in form from her absolute best levels. The
number two seed reached back-to-back quarterfinals at the Australian Open and
the Qatar Open, losing to Maria Sakkari in the Middle East. She was able to
extract her revenge in a straight-set triumph.
This will fill her with confidence against a player riding
the crest of a wave. Karolina Muchova won that tournament in Qatar for just a
second WTA title, and first since 2019. She is a player who possesses so much
quality, but maybe not showcased at the highest level enough due to injuries. Currently
on an eight-match winning streak, only Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff have
defeated her this year, proving that only the best can compete with the former
Roland Garros finalist. That final in Paris was lost against Swiatek who will
be looking for much the same in California.
Rybakina stands in the way of the British number two
2026 started so well for Elena Rybakina with that Australian
Open triumph. She was excellent at that event, replicating the form shown at
the WTA Finals, where she on both occasions took down the world number one
Sabalenka. While she has not lived up to the levels since that Melbourne run,
wins over Hailey Baptiste and Marta Kostyuk have put her back on track for a second
Indian Wells title.
Sonay Kartal will not have expectations of winning the title, having already matched last year’s fantastic fourth-round appearance. A second
WTA 1000 quarterfinal is in touching distance of the British number two, who has
already taken down some huge names. Emma Navarro and Madison Keys have left the
court empty-handed when facing off against Kartal, who is confident that she can
continue the progress in this competition as she looks for her second-ever top 10
win.
Dubai finalists back in action
Jessica Pegula turned a precarious situation into one that
resulted in her winning yet another three-set battle, this time against former French
Open champion Jelena Ostapenko. She is in blistering form this year, not
settling for anything worse than a semi-final. That includes the title in
Dubai, leaving her in a great position to repeat what Mirra Andreeva did last year
and win the pair of WTA 1000 events on the spin. Before the Latvian, she was
embroiled in another tight tie against Donna Vekic, with the American again
recovering from a one-set deficit.
She may not be as fortunate if she goes up against
Belinda Bencic, who is trying to find her best tennis again. If she produces
what she showcased at the United Cup, then there is no reason why the Swiss
could not win the tournament. Just 10 games were dropped in her two matches
combined against Storm Hunter and Elise Mertens as she looks towards breaking
back into the top 10 in the world.
In that Dubai final Pegula won, Elina Svitolina was the
loser. She was also the other loser in the Australian Open semi-final, showing how
good she has been on court this year. A four-time WTA 1000 champion, the last
one came back in the 2018 Italian Open. She will be hoping to push that date right
up to the current day, and she will have the belief that she can complete this. Laura
Siegemund and Ashlyn Krueger have had their campaigns ended by the hands of the
Ukrainian, who is looking to take out another top-quality player enroute to the
next stage.
that will not be the case with a stunning showing from Katerina Siniakova, dumping out the Russian who left her impact on the court. The doubles
specialist has won 10 double Grand Slam titles in her time, but is also a handy
player alone on the court. She still has one eye on the doubles event, but the
chance to make it to a fourth WTA 1000 last-eight is a tantalising thought. Aside
from Andreeva, Grand Slam finalists Sofia Kenin and Leylah Fernandez have also
been dealt with.