After each half of the draw has alternated days of play to this stage, everyone still alive in men’s and women’s singles will take to the court on Tuesday.
ATP singles action is headlined by one of the sport’s most prolific rivalries of the past five years between Daniil Medvedev and Sascha Zverev. WTA action is headlined by a meeting between two of 2023’s best players: Aryna Sabalenka and Barbora Krejcikova. And in both the ATP and WTA draws, the top seeds face Great Britain’s best new rising stars.
Each day, this preview will analyze the two most intriguing matchups, while highlighting other notable matches on the schedule. Tuesday’s play gets underway at 11:00am local time.
Daniil Medvedev (5) vs. Sascha Zverev (12) – 11:00am on Stadium 1
Medvedev is now on a 16-match win streak, having claimed three straight titles heading into this tournament (Rotterdam, Doha, Dubai). Zverev is just 8-7 since returning this season from the awful ankle injury he suffered last June at Roland Garros, though he seems to be rediscovering some form, as he’s taken five of his last six matches.
The rivalry between these two has been extremely tight, and is currently tied up at 6-6, with all 12 matches contested on hard courts at non-Majors. Zverev won the first four, but Medvedev has now won five of their last six. They have not played since they met twice during the 2021 ATP Finals, where Daniil prevailed in round robin play, but Sascha prevailed in the championship match.
Medvedev was just 6-5 at Indian Wells prior to this fortnight, while Zverev was only 8-6, so this tournament has not been too kind to either player. But based on recent form, as well as their recent history, Daniil is a considerable favorite to reach the quarterfinals of Indian Wells for the first time.
Barbora Krejcikova (16) vs. Aryna Sabalenka (2) – Second on Stadium 2
Sabalenka, a recently-anointed new Major singles champion, is now 14-1 in 2023. However, the Belarusian received a walkover in the last round from Ukranian Lesia Tsurenko, as Tsurenko stated she suffered from a panic attack due to a bothersome conversation with WTA CEO Steve Simon. News of that withdrawal and allegation has been making waves in the tennis world, and one wonders how that may impact Aryna’s mindset on this day.
Krejcikova is on an eight-match win streak, thanks to her title run a few weeks ago in Dubai, where she not only defeated Sabalenka, but took out all of the top three players in the world. After missing several months in 2022 due to injury, the 2021 Roland Garros singles champion seems to be back in top form.
Krejcikova’s victory last month in Dubai is her only one over Sabalenka. Aryna claimed their other two, three years ago in Linz as well as two years ago at the US Open. But I give Barbora the slight edge to even their head-to-head on Tuesday. She’s playing with a ton of confidence, and it would only be natural if Sabalenka is at least slightly affected by the Tsurenko situation.
Other Notable Matches on Tuesday:
Andrey Rublev (6) vs. Cameron Norrie (10) – Rublev is 11-6 on the year, while Norrie is a superb 20-3. Rublev leads their head-to-head 2-1, which includes a straight-set win at last summer’s US Open.
Petra Kvitova (15) vs. Jessica Pegula (3) – Kvitova outlasted Jelena Ostapenko in a topsy-turvy three-setter on Sunday. Pegula has survived two consecutive three-setters to reach this stage. Petra is 3-1 against Jess, which includes a victory earlier this season in the inaugural United Cup.
Carlos Alcaraz (1) vs. Jack Draper – Alcaraz is 10-1 this season, after missing the Australian Open due to injury. Draper took out another Major champ, Andy Murray, on Monday night. This past October in Basel, Carlitos outlasted Jack 7-5 in the third.
Iga Swiatek (1) vs. Emma Raducanu – Iga Swiatek defeated another US Open champion, Bianca Andreescu, on Monday evening. This is only the second tournament where Raducanu has won three matches since her 2021 US Open triumph, as she’s battled injuries and illness. Last season in Stuttgart on clay, Iga beat Emma in straight sets.
Tommy Paul (17) vs. Felix Auger-Aliassime (8) – Paul eliminated Auger-Aliassime’s frequent doubles partner, Hubi Hurkacz, on Monday. Felix has played two long straight-setters so far this fortnight. This is their first career meeting.
Jannik Sinner (11) vs. Stan Wawrinka (PR) – Sinner has taken out two Frenchmen in straight sets (Gasquet, Mannarino). Wawrinka avenged a bitter loss from last year’s Paris Masters against Holger Rune on Monday afternoon. These men have split four previous encounters, with Jannik prevailing most recently, just a month ago in Rotterdam.
Tuesday’s full Order of Play is here.
