Third-round action at the Indian Wells Masters continues with world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz going up against Arthur Rinderknech on Monday. Defending champion Jack Draper faces Francisco Cerundolo.
(1) Carlos Alcaraz vs. (26) Arthur Rinderknech
Rinderknech has to be tired of seeing Alcaraz on the other side of the net. Monday at the BNP Paribas Open marks their sixth showdown, with every one of the previous five going Alcaraz’s way — two at the U.S. Open, two at Queen’s Club, and most recently in Doha last month. Rinderknech took a set in each of their first two meetings, but it has been straight sets ever since.
More of the same should be in line for this third-round battle in Tennis Paradise. Alcaraz is a two-time champion of the tournament and was ruthless in a 6-2, 6-3 rout of Grigor Dimitrov on Saturday — improving to 13-0 this season. Rinderknech got a walkover from Juan Manuel Cerundolo, so his tournament will be begin against Alcaraz — arguably making the challenge even more difficult. Although the 28th-ranked Frenchman is playing well, it’s hard to see him winning a set in this matchup.
Pick: Alcaraz in 2
(19) Francisco Cerundolo vs. (14) Jack Draper
If Draper loses on Monday, he will fall to a projected ranking of No. 29. That’s because he is the defending champion in Indian Wells, so 1000 points are coming off the board. A comeback from his most recent injury in a long line of them is off to a decent start, with a 3-1 record (his loss is to Rinderknech in Dubai). The British lefty kicked off his title defense in the desert with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory over Roberto Bautista Agut on Saturday.
Up next for Draper on Monday is a third meeting with Cerundolo, who won each of their first two encounters. The 20th-ranked Argentine prevailed 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 on the red clay of Lyon in 2023 and 7-6(4), 7-5 on an indoor hard court in 2024 Davis Cup competition. Cerundolo is coming off a 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(5) thriller against Benjamin Bonzi, but Draper represents a step up in competition and the No. 19 seed rarely beats higher-ranked opponents. This obviously isn’t the same Draper whom Cerundolo faced in 2023 and 2024.
Pick: Draper in 3
WWW?
Garfia in a tight 2, gonna take Draper in a gritted 3.
Alcaraz in 2 Draper in 3
Agree, although before the tournament started, I would have picked Cerundolo , not sure about Drapers form