The Indian Wells Masters heats up on Sunday, when Canadian star Felix Auger-Aliassime takes on Botic Van de Zandschulp. Fellow Americans Frances Tiafoe and Brandon Nakashima will also be in second-round action.
(9) Felix Auger-Aliassime vs. Botic van de Zandschulp
This is one of the more intriguing matches on Sunday’s docket. World No. 9 Felix Auger-Aliassime has had a monster start to the 2022 season. He has made it to the business end of every tournament he has entered so far, with a standout result in Rotterdam–where he finally won his first tour title. He also earned a quarterfinal berth at the Australian Open, going down to finalist Daniil Medvedev in five thrilling sets.
The Canadian’s second-round opponent, Botic van de Zandschulp, also fell victim to Medvedev in Melbourne. The Dutchman broke through in 2021 at the U.S. Open and sits at a career-high 47th in the world. His star hasn’t shown as brightly as Auger-Aliassime’s thus far, but there is still plenty of promise that this could be an entertaining match.
Van de Zandschulp posted a tidy straight-set win over Tennys Sandgren in the first round, while Auger-Aliassime got a bye into the second round. The relatively slow court might have proven frustrating to the world No. 9 in the past, but since the start of the season FAA has shown far more patience on court than he has in the past.
Cheryl pick: Auger-Aliassime in 3
Ricky pick: Auger-Aliassime in 3
(28) Frances Tiafoe vs. Brandon Nakashima
Brandon Nakashima is one of a trio of young Americans (with Sebastian Korda and Jenson Brooksby) starting to make a mark in the ATP. Nakashima is the lowest ranked of the three at No. 80 in the world, but he is also the youngest at age 20. He hasn’t completely found his professional game yet, but he has plenty of potential.
Frances Tiafoe has had some wild results in the past 12 months. The American struggled at the start of 2021 but came on in the fall starting at the U.S. Open. He sits at No. 30 in the world, but a lackluster start to the 2022 season threatens his ranking again. He played three events prior to Indian Wells with exactly one match win to show for his efforts.
Tiafoe beat Nakashima the only other time they played on the main tour (last year in Acapulco), but given their respective form–and the fact that Nakashima had an excellent win over Adrian Mannarino in the first round–that win might not mean much. Tiafoe will come into this second-round match cold, having earned a first-round bye thanks to his No. 28 seeding.
Cheryl pick: Nakashima in 3
Ricky pick: Nakashima in 2
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