Andy Murray and Alexander Zverev have tough second-round matchups on their hands at the Indian Wells Masters on Sunday. Both guys are running into rising stars, as it will be Murray vs. Carlos Alcaraz and Zverev vs. Jenson Brooksby.
(30) Carlos Alcaraz vs. (WC) Andy Murray
It will be a clash of generations–a three-time Grand Slam champion vs. an expected future Grand Slam champion–when Murray and Alcaraz go head-to-head in the BNP Paribas Open second round on Sunday. Despite his youth (18 years old), it is Alcaraz who is the seeded player in this matchup. The Spaniard has vaulted to 38th in the rankings thanks mostly to a quarterfinal run at the U.S. Open. He also captured his first career ATP title in Umag and reached the semis in Winston-Salem.
Murray doesn’t have any results like those to his credit, but he is at least winning matches on a relatively consistent basis again. The 34-year-old Scot has advanced at least one round in nine of his last 10 tournaments after defeating Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 6-2 on Friday. What has troubled Murray in his comeback from hip problems is elite competition. Alcaraz may not be at the top of the game (yet), but he is great form right now and will likely have too much offensive firepower for the veteran.
Pick: Alcaraz in 3
Jenson Brooksby vs. (3) Alexander Zverev
Zverev and Brooksby will also be squaring off for the first time in their careers, which is no surprise since Brooksby is just now announcing himself at the ATP level. And it has been quite an announcement. The 20-year-old American finished runner-up in Newport, reached the semis in Washington, D.C, and made a run to round four of the U.S. Open (took a set off Novak Djokovic). Brooksby kicked off his Indian Wells campaign with a 7-6(5), 6-4 victory over qualifier Cem Ilkel on Friday.
The gold medalist at the Tokyo Olympics and a semifinalist at the French Open and U.S. Open, Zverev will officially become the fourth qualifier for the Nitto ATP Finals when this tournament comes to an end. He is 44-12 in 2021 and has not lost to anyone ranked lower than No. 31 in the world since April. Brooksby will make this a fun one, but Zverev should get the job done in straight sets.
Pick: Zverev in 2
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Alvarez in three conditions will suit him