Fourteen of the 16 remaining players in the Indian Wells draw are seeded, with only Alexander Zverev and Federico Delbonis crashing the party. Two of the all-seeded showdowns on Wednesday pit Stan Wawrinka against David Goffin and Tomas Berdych against Milos Raonic.
(15) David Goffin vs. (3) Stan Wawrinka
Wawrinka and Goffin will be going head-to-head for the fourth time in their careers when they battle for a place in the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open on Wednesday. All three of their previous meetings have gone Wawrinka’s way, including two on hard courts (both in Chennai). They first faced each other when Goffin was just announcing himself on tour, with Wawrinka scraping past him 7-6(3), 7-6(3) at the 2011 Chennai event. At the same tournament in 2015, Wawrinka prevailed 7-5, 6-3 before he won 7-6(3), 7-6(7), 6-4 at Wimbledon that summer.
Goffin is basically on his second life already in Indian Wells and should be playing with nothing to lose. The 18th-ranked Belgian saved two match points in his opener against Frances Tiafoe, which he won 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(2). Goffin improved to 10-4 on the season with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 defeat of Guido Pella on Monday. Wawrinka has advanced in the desert with straight-set victories over Illya Marchenko and Andrey Kuznetsov. The third-ranked Swiss is seeking his third title of 2016, having previously triumphed in Chennai and Dubai. Goffin should be able to make this one competitive, but Wawrinka is confident and playing on a surface that is tailored to his game. Expect an entertaining contest between two in-form competitors.
Pick: Wawrinka in 3
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(6) Tomas Berdych vs. (12) Milos Raonic
Berdych has put to rest injury concerns thanks to a pair of victories in the desert. The seventh-ranked Czech retired from a recent Davis Cup match against Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber citing an adductor issue. After five days of rest, however, Berdych got back in business and beat Juan Martin Del Potro 7-6(4), 6-2. The No. 6 seed followed that up by holding off Borna Coric 6-1, 7-6(3) on Monday night.
Up next for Berdych is a sixth career showdown against Raonic. The head-to-head series stands at 3-2 in favor of the 14th-ranked Canadian, who is 3-1 at Berdych’s expense on hard courts (1-0 on outdoor hards). Only one of Raonic’s defeats (at the 2013 Paris Masters) has come aside from retirement, which marred their most recent meeting at the 2015 Monte-Carlo Masters. Raonic missed much of the remainder of last season with a foot injury and an adductor issue sidelined him this February following the Australian Open. It would be fair to say that this tilt may come down to which competitor’s adductor is holding up better. Early returns in Indian Wells have been similarly reassuring for Raonic, who has gotten past Inigo Cervantes and Bernard Tomic without coming close to dropping a set. But Berdych represents competition the likes of which the No. 12 seed has not faced since his semifinal run Down Under. A relatively positive fortnight for Raonic is likely coming to an end on Wednesday.
Pick: Berdych in 3
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