Top seed Daniil Medvedev returns to singles duty on Saturday at the BNP Paribas Open for the first time since he won his maiden major title at the US Open last month, with Russia’s Andrey Rublev and Noway’s Casper Ruud also in second-round action.
Medvedev, who helped Team Europe triumph over Team World at the Laver Cup in September, has won his past eight tour-level matches. The World No. 2 will look to extend that run against America’s Mackenzie McDonald, with the Russian leading their ATP Head2Head Series 4-0.
Speaking ahead of the match, which is not before 6 p.m. on Stadium 1, the 25-year-old insisted his motivation for success remains as great as ever following his US Open victory as he aims to win his second ATP Masters 1000 title of the season.
“I have motivation, I came here prepared,” Medvedev said in his pre-tournament press conference. “We can’t know before the tournament what the result is going to be but even if I lose [in the] second round here, it is nothing to do with the motivation. It is because of the opponent or that I was not playing that well. I am going to play a few tournaments for the rest of the year and I am going to try my best and win them.”
Countryman Rublev also begins his Indian Wells campaign on day three in California, facing Spaniard Carlos Taberner on Stadium 2. The 23-year-old reached his second Masters 1000 final in Cincinnati in August and arrives in Indian Wells off the back of a run to the semi-finals at the San Diego Open.
Murray Reveals Wedding Ring Retrieval Following Mannarino Win
The FedEx ATP Race To Turin is heating up and Norway’s Casper Ruud strengthened his bid to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals by capturing his fifth tour-level title of the season in San Diego last week. Currently sat eighth in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin (2,925 points), he will be aiming for another deep run in Indian Wells.
The 22-year-old faces Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena on Stadium 3, with Ruud leading their ATP Head2Head Series 3-0. However, this will be their first meeting on hard.
Eighth seed Hubert Hurkacz is on Ruud’s tail in the Race To Turin, currently in ninth, just 150 points behind the Norwegian. The Pole clinched his third tour-level title of the season in Metz last month and opens his Indian Wells campaign against Australian Alexei Popyrin in the first match on Stadium 7.
Russia’s Aslan Karatsev, currently 12th in the Race To Turin (1,940), needs a big final push if he is to qualify for the season finale, to be held from 14-21 November at the Pala Alpitour in Turin. The 28-year-old faces Italy’s Salvatore Caruso not before 6 p.m. on Stadium 5.
FOLLOW THIS WEEK’S ACTION
Wimbledon semi-finalist Denis Shapovalov, Toronto runner-up Reilly Opelka and #NextGenATP American Sebastian Korda are all also in action in a packed day three.
Canadian Shapovalov plays countryman Vasek Pospisil on Stadium 2, while Opelka takes on Taro Daniel on Stadium 1. Korda, who has booked his spot at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan, meets Frances Tiafoe.
A number of ATP Tour stars feature in doubles action, with Alexander Zverev and Jan-Lennard Struff facing sixth seeds Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares. #NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz and Pablo Carreno Busta take on Tim Puetz and Michael Venus, while Americans John Isner and Jack Sock play Daniel Evans and Neal Skupski.
VIEW SCHEDULE – SATURDAY, 9 OCTOBER 2021
STADIUM 1 start 11:00 am
ATP – T. Daniel (JPN) vs [16] R. Opelka (USA)
ATP – [32] S. Korda (USA) vs F. Tiafoe (USA)
WTA – Not Before 3:00 PM – C. Garcia (FRA) vs [15] C. Gauff (USA)
ATP – Not Before 6:00 pm – [1] D. Medvedev (RUS) vs M. McDonald (USA)
WTA – Not Before 8:00 PM – A. Riske (USA) vs [16] B. Andreescu (CAN)
STADIUM 2 start 11:00 am
WTA – A. Tomljanovic (AUS) vs [5] G. Muguruza (ESP)
WTA – [1] K. Pliskova (CZE) vs [Q] M. Frech (POL)
ATP – [9] D. Shapovalov (CAN) vs V. Pospisil (CAN)
WTA – Not Before 6:00 PM – V. Golubic (SUI) vs [6] M. Sakkari (GRE)
ATP – [4] A. Rublev (RUS) vs C. Taberner (ESP)
STADIUM 3 start 11:00 am
ATP – [11] D. Schwartzman (ARG) vs [Q] M. Cressy (USA)
ATP – R. Carballes Baena (ESP) vs [6] C. Ruud (NOR)
ATP – [23] G. Dimitrov (BUL) vs D. Altmaier (GER)
WTA – Not Before 6:00 PM – [10] A. Kerber (GER) vs K. Siniakova (CZE)
WTA – [5] N. Melichar-Martinez (USA) / D. Schuurs (NED) vs L. Fernandez (CAN) / C. Gauff (USA)
STADIUM 4 start 11:00 am
WTA – [12] O. Jabeur (TUN) vs A. Sevastova (LAT)
WTA – Not Before 12:30 PM – A. Anisimova (USA) vs [30] C. Giorgi (ITA)
WTA – [3] B. Krejcikova (CZE) vs [Q] Z. Diyas (KAZ)
ATP – Not Before 6:00 pm – T. Paul (USA) vs [28] D. Lajovic (SRB)
ATP – M. Giron (USA) vs [27] F. Krajinovic (SRB)
STADIUM 5 start 11:00 am
ATP – K. Nishikori (JPN) vs [18] D. Evans (GBR)
ATP – [21] C. Norrie (GBR) vs T. Sandgren (USA)
ATP- After Suitable Rest – D. Evans (GBR) / N. Skupski (GBR) vs [WC] J. Isner (USA) / J. Sock (USA)
ATP – Not Before 6:00 pm – [Q] S. Caruso (ITA) vs [19] A. Karatsev (RUS)
ATP – S. Bolelli (ITA) / M. Gonzalez (ARG) vs [4] J. Cabal (COL) / R. Farah (COL)
STADIUM 6 start 11:00 am
WTA – [28] S. Sorribes Tormo (ESP) vs [Q] A. Kalinskaya (RUS)
WTA – [18] A. Kontaveit (EST) vs [Q] M. Trevisan (ITA)
WTA – [21] P. Badosa (ESP) vs D. Yastremska (UKR)
WTA – Not Before 6:00 PM – L. Davis (USA) vs [22] D. Collins (USA)
WTA – [Q] A. Sharma (AUS) vs [20] D. Kasatkina (RUS)
STADIUM 7 start 11:00 am
ATP – A. Popyrin (AUS) vs [8] H. Hurkacz (POL)
ATP – G. Pella (ARG) vs [15] R. Bautista Agut (ESP)
ATP – T. Puetz (GER) / M. Venus (NZL) vs C. Alcaraz (ESP) / P. Carreno Busta (ESP)
ATP – Not Before 6:00 pm – [26] L. Harris (RSA) vs A. Davidovich Fokina (ESP)
STADIUM 8 start 11:00 am
WTA – [26] T. Zidansek (SLO) vs A. Konjuh (CRO)
WTA – M. Bouzkova (CZE) / L. Hradecka (CZE) vs [WC] S. Halep (ROU) / E. Ruse (ROU)
WTA – After Suitable Rest NB 2:00 PM – L. Kichenok (UKR) / J. Ostapenko (LAT) vs S. Rogers (USA) / A. Tomljanovic (AUS)
WTA – Not Before 6:00 PM – U. Eikeri (NOR) / A. Sasnovich (BLR) vs [WC] R. Brantmeier (USA) / K. Scott (USA)
STADIUM 9 start 11:00 am
ATP – [3] M. Granollers (ESP) / H. Zeballos (ARG) vs F. Fognini (ITA) / L. Sonego (ITA)
ATP – C. Garin (CHI) / S. Gonzalez (MEX) vs [8] I. Dodig (CRO) / M. Melo (BRA)
ATP – [6] J. Murray (GBR) / B. Soares (BRA) vs J. Struff (GER) / A. Zverev (GER)
WTA – Not Before 6:00 PM – A. Muhammad (USA) / J. Pegula (USA) vs [3] S. Aoyama (JPN) / E. Shibahara (JPN)
WTA – M. Sherif (EGY) vs [LL] B. Haddad Maia (BRA)