BNP Paribas Open Match Preview
As with Zheng, Svitolina, and even Swiatek, Indian Wells has inspired Medvedev and Fils to raise their levels of play. Neither had a good Australian Open, and neither was much better in February. But now they find themselves in the quarterfinals in the desert.
That’s not surprising for Medvedev. While he’s on record saying he hates these courts, he has reached the IW final the last two years. Now that the top half of the draw has been depleted, he’s the favorite to make it there again. His 6-4, 6-0 win over Tommy Paul on Tuesday night was vintage Medvedev; he built a wall at the baseline that Paul never came close to getting around.
Can Fils do better? At 20, with a couple of seasons under his belt, the Frenchman should be ready for a breakout year. He’s 0-1 against Medvedev, which wouldn’t mean much, except that his athletic power-baseline game—which is not unlike Paul’s—might be a bad matchup against a Medvedev who appears to be gaining confidence, and who likes these courts a lot more than he lets on. Winner: Medvedev—Steve Tignor
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