Roger Federer is two wins away from a second consecutive Indian Wells title, with Borna Coric standing in his way during semifinal action on Saturday. Meanwhile, Milos Raonic has made a resurgent run and will face Juan Martin Del Potro.
(1) Roger Federer vs. Borna Coric
Aside from his lone ATP title last spring in Marrakech, Coric has turned in the two best tournaments of his career in Dubai (2015) and Indian Wells (currently). Coric’s semifinal opponent on both occasions? None other than Federer, who trounced the Croat 6-2, 6-1 to end his Dubai run in unceremonious fashion. They will meet for a second time on Saturday at the BNP Paribas Open, where Coric has simply been on fire throughout the fortnight. The 21-year-old did not lose more than three games in any set against Donald Young, Albert Ramos-Vinolas, and Roberto Bautista Agut before outlasting Taylor Fritz in a three and then upsetting a red-hot Kevin Anderson 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(3) on Thursday.
Federer clinched maintaining the No. 1 ranking following this fortnight by reaching the semifinals, a feat he accomplished thanks to straight-set defeats of Federico Delbonis, Filip Krajinovic, Jeremy Chardy, and Hyeon Chung. The Swiss is a flawless 16-0 this season with titles at the Australian Open and in Rotterdam. This will be more competitive than their previous encounter because Coric has grown, both literally and figuratively, but he is more of a counter-puncher than an aggressor and will let Federer dictate play. No game-style has been working against the 20-time Grand Slam champion of late, and defense is definitely not one that will work based on the 36-year-old’s current level of play.
Pick: Federer in 2 losing 8 games or fewer
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(32) Milos Raonic vs. (6) Juan Martin Del Potro
Del Potro and Raonic will be squaring of for the fourth time in their careers on Saturday. Raonic is leading the head-to-head series 2-1, with a controversial 7-5, 6-4 win at the 2013 Montreal Masters and a 6-3, 7-6(6) victory one year ago in the Delray Beach semifinals. Del Potro’s lone success came via a 7-6(5), 7-5 decision in the 2013 Tokyo title match.
Both players have struggled with injuries throughout their careers, which is why they have faced each other only three times. Of late, though, Del Potro has been enjoying a steady climb whereas Raonic has been going in the other direction. The Argentine is back up to No. 8 in the world and he is 15-3 this season with a title in Acapulco and a runner-up performance in Auckland. He has advanced in Indian Wells by ousting Alex De Minaur, David Ferrer, Leonardo Mayer, and Philipp Kohlschreiber. Raonic booked his spot in the last four thanks to defeats of Felix Auger-Aliassime, Joao Sousa, and Sam Querrey plus a walkover from Marcos Baghdatis. This has come from basically out of nowhere for the 38th-ranked Canadian, who had previously been just 3-3 in 2018. Del Potro is simply at a different level right now–certainly based on the quality of the Raonic-Querrey match–so the 32nd seed will have to serve incredibly well in order to seriously compete.
Pick: Del Potro in 2
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