Arguably the most intriguing matchup of the tournament thus far will take place on Sunday, when Grigor Dimitrov and Nick Kyrgios do battle in Indian Wells. Milos Raonic and Simone Bolelli are also in second-round action.
Nick Kyrgios vs. (11) Grigor Dimitrov
Get your popcorn ready for the first-ever meeting between Dimitrov and Kyrgios, who are getting stadium-court treatment for a second-round blockbuster at the BNP Paribas Open on Sunday. It will be Kyrgios’ second match on Stadium 1 already this week, as the 19-year-old Australian got past Denis Kudla 6-4, 6-5 on Friday night. Kyrgios, who fired 11 aces at the American’s expense without double-faulting, had not played since reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open due to a back issue.
Dimitrov is a mediocre 7-4 this season with a fourth-round showing Down Under. The 11th-seeded Bulgarian did not play well in Rotterdam or Acapulco (second-round losses to Gilles Muller and Ryan Harrison, respectively), so he is looking to get back on track in the desert. Look for Dimitrov to use his defensive athleticism to force Kyrgios into longer rallies and exploit the youngster’s relative rust.
Pick: Dimitrov in 3
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(6) Milos Raonic vs. Simone Bolelli
Raonic and Bolelli will be squaring off for the third time already this season when they collide again on Sunday. Bolelli pulled off a 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(3) upset last month in Marseille, but Raonic still leads the head-to-head series 2-1. The sixth-ranked Canadian prevailed 6-3, 7-6(5) last spring in Rome and 6-3, 7-6(2) a few weeks ago in Rotterdam.
A healthy, resurgent Bolelli is making waves in 2015. The Italian captured the Australian Open doubles title with Fabio Fognini and he is up to No. 49 in the world in singles with nine victories this year. Bolelli opened in Indian Wells with a three-set win over Thomaz Bellucci. Raonic is coming off a decent Davis Cup performance, in which he went 1-1 against Japan (defeated Tatsuma Ito, lost to Kei Nishikori in five sets) as the host Canadians survived 3-2. The No. 6 seed has never lost prior to the third round in four Indian Wells appearances and he advanced to the quarterfinals in 2014. A relatively high-bouncing surface should suit his game.
Pick: Raonic in 2
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Kyrgios for the win.
I am looking forward to Dimitrov and Kyrgios. Normally Dimitrov would be my pick. However, he hasn’t looked all that great lately. Kyrgios is someone you don’t want to face when you are not playing your best. I am still not sure that Kyrgios will get the win. I have been going back and forth on this one. I don’t know if Kyrgios will be at his best returning from a back injury.
I am going with Dimitrov to raise his level of play and get the win in three sets.
The second match is much easier to pick. Raonic in straight sets.