Indian Wells R1 previews and predictions: Wawrinka vs. Evans, Johnson vs. Fritz

Stan Wawrinka will kick off his 2019 Indian Wells Masters campaign against Delray Beach runner-up Daniel Evans on Friday. Meanwhile, an all-American affair in the first round pits Steve Johnson against Taylor Fritz.

(Q) Daniel Evans vs. Stan Wawrinka

Wawrinka and Evans will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers when they clash in round one of the BNP Paribas Open on Friday. Their only previous encounter came at the 2016 U.S. Open, and it will not soon be forgotten. Wawrinka saved one match point in their third-round thriller to survive 4-6, 6-3, 6-7(6), 7-6(8), 6-2; making it all the more amazing, the Swiss went on to win the entire tournament.

Although Wawrinka may not be at his slam-winning best these days, he is back from injury and is on the cusp of once again being seeded for majors (currently No. 40 in the world). The 33-year-old is a decent 9-5 this season with a runner-up finish in Rotterdam and quarterfinal showings in Doha (lost to eventual champion Roberto Bautista Agut) and Acapulco (lost to eventual champion Nick Kyrgios). Evans is back inside the top 100–right on the number–with a recent runner-up performance in Delray Beach as a qualifier and a semifinal result at last week’s Indian Wells Challenger. The 28-year-old Brit also qualified for the main draw of this Masters 1000 tournament, beating Ruben Bemelmans and Noah Rubin in easy straight sets. This may be the toughest matchup of the entire first round, but Wawrinka’s firepower may be too much in the end for an opponent who has played an outrageous amount of tennis in recent weeks.

Pick: Wawrinka in 3

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Taylor Fritz vs. Steve Johnson

Johnson and Fritz will be squaring off for the third time in their careers and for the third time at home in the United States. The head-to-head series is tied up at one win apiece, with Fritz prevailing 7-6(5), 7-6(7) on the indoor hard courts of Memphis in 2016 before Johnson got the job done 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-2 on the red clay of Houston last spring.

Showing signs of emerging from a horrendous slump (nine straight losses dating back to last summer’s U.S. Open), Johnson advanced to the Delray Beach quarterfinals and the Acapulco second round. He registers at 38th in the rankings, eight spots better than a more in-form Fritz. The 21-year-old’s 2019 campaign includes a third-round showing at the Australian Open and a title at the Newport Beach Challenger. Fritz will likely be too tough for an opponent who has not defeated anyone in the top 100 since round one of the 2018 U.S. Open.

Pick: Fritz in 3

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