A couple of marquee first-round matchups are on the Thursday schedule in Indian Wells, where Joao Fonseca makes his tournament debut against Jake Fearnley. Tomas Martin Etcheverry faces Jakub Mensik.
Jake Fearnley vs. (WC) Joao Fonseca
Fearnley seems to have a habit of drawing notable wild-card entries in first rounds. Going up against Nick Kyrgios at the Australian Open was an outstanding draw given the Aussie’s lengthy absence from tennis. Unfortunately for Fearnley, facing Fonseca at the BNP Paribas Open is anything but a good draw. After all, the 18-year-old Brazilian has taken the ATP Tour by storm with the 2024 NextGen ATP Finals triumph, a straight-set upset of Andrey Rublev in Melbourne, and his first title in Buenos Aires.
Whereas Fonseca briefly considered a college tennis stint before making the immediate jump to pro tennis, Fearnley took the scenic route. The 23-year-old Brit played five seasons in college at TCU and graduated in 2024. Well prepared for the tour, Fearnley has enjoyed success on the Challenger circuit and also at the ATP level with a recent third-round run at the Australian Open. A 6-3, 6-3 loss to world No. 151 Lukas Klein at last month’s Pau Challenger, however, is an alarming result. Conditions in Indian Wells should be favorable for Fonseca and slower than Fearnley would like, so count on the teenager maintaining his fine form.
Pick: Fonseca in 2
Tomas Martin Etcheverry vs. Jakub Mensik
Etcheverry and Mensik will also be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers on Thursday. It has been an up-and-down season for Mensik, who started strong with quarterfinal appearances in Brisbane and Auckland followed by a third-round effort at the Aussie Open. However, the 19-year-old Czech is just 1-3 in his last four matches–although he at least took a set off eventual champion Tomas Machac in the Acapulco first round.
The Golden Swing was a disappointment for Etcheverry, especially considering that he was one of the best players entered in those three events. The 45th-ranked Argentine lost in the Buenos Aires first round to Fonseca, in the Rio de Janeiro second round to Alexandre Muller, and in the Santiago quarterfinals to Francisco Cerundolo. Even though Etcheverry is somewhat of an all-court player, a move from clay to hard courts certainly isn’t advantageous for him. Mensik should have the edge in this one.
Pick: Mensik in 3
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