Indian Wells R2 previews and predictions: Nishikori vs. Evans, Del Potro vs. Delbonis

Kei Nishikori will begin what he hopes is a long trek through a brutal bottom half of the Indian Wells draw when he meets Dan Evans on Sunday. Second-round action also includes an all-Argentine showdown between Juan Martin Del Potro and Federico Delbonis.

Dan Evans vs. (4) Kei Nishikori

Nishikori and Evans will be squaring off for the third time in their careers when they collide in round two of the BNP Paribas Open on Sunday. The head-to-head series is tied at one win apiece, with Evans having pulled off a 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 surprise at the 2013 U.S. Open before Nishikori got the job done 6-3, 7-5, 7-6(3) in a Davis Cup rubber on the indoor hard courts of Great Britain last season.

Evans earned another shot at the current world No. 5 by hammering Dustin Brown 6-1, 6-1 in his Indian Wells opener on Friday. The 26-year-old Brit is now 10-4 for the 2017 campaign with a runner-up finish in Sydney and a fourth-round showing at the Australian Open. Nishikori is coming off a relatively disappointing Golden Swing, during which he lost to Alexandr Dolgopolov in the Buenos Aires final and to Thomaz Bellucci in the Rio de Janeiro first round. On hard courts, however, only Grigor Dimitrov (Brisbane title match) and Roger Federer (in five sets in the Australian Open fourth round) have defeated the Japanese star in 2017. Nishikori’s backhand will be the biggest single weapon on the court in this one and that should carry him to a hard-fought victory.

Pick: Nishikori in 3

[polldaddy poll=9691772]

(31) Juan Martin Del Potro vs. Federico Delbonis

Del Potro has played in only two tournaments this year and he did not do quite enough in either one to clinch a seeded spot in Indian Wells on his own merit. The 35th-ranked Argentine advanced to the Delray Beach semifinals and dropped a three-setter to Novak Djokovic in the Acapulco second round. Del Potro, though, snagged the No. 31 seeded thanks to withdrawals from Milos Raonic, Richard Gasquet, David Ferrer, and Gilles Simon.

Up first for the 2009 U.S. Open champion is Delbonis, whom he has never faced. The world No. 49 booked a place alongside his compatriot by defeating Andrey Kuznetsov 6-3, 6-4 during first-round action. Delbonis, who is a decent 5-4 this season, upset Andy Murray at last year’s Indian Wells Masters en route to the last 16. But Murray’s extensive history of desert disappointments–including a straight-set loss at the hands of Vasek Pospisil on Saturday night–suggests that accomplishment may look better on paper than it is in reality. Whatever the case, another upset engineered by Delbonis is unlikely to come against an in-form Del Potro.

Pick: Del Potro in 2

[polldaddy poll=9691727]