Sunday
Alexandr Dolgopolov vs. (29) Santiago Giraldo: Dolgopolov turned in a stellar performance against Frank Dancevic, suggesting his game is rounding into form. He should gain additional confidence at a place where he upset Rafael Nadal en route to last year’s semis. Dolgopolov in 2.
(13) Gilles Simon vs. Malek Jaziri: Most importantly, Simon is healthy. The icing on the cake is that he is in stellar form. Simon in 2.
(31) Jeremy Chardy vs. Donald Young: When Young is cold, he is ice cold. But when he is confident, the guy’s talent can shine through. Young is supremely confident based on recent strong play at home in the United States. Young in 3.
Igor Sijsling vs. (3) Rafael Nadal: Sijsling is often hopeless against all opponents, and he is always hopeless against top-tier opponents. His first-ever meeting with Nadal will not end well. Nadal in 2.
(7) Stan Wawrinka vs. Robin Haase: Wawrinka is 6-0 lifetime against Haase; only one has ended in straight sets and one ended after 2:00 in the morning at the 2011 Chennai event. Based on current form, this one should be more straightforward. Wawrinka in 2.
Sergiy Stakhovsky vs. (9) Tomas Berdych: On an indoor hard court or grass, this one would be interesting. In Indian Wells, a clear edge goes to Berdych. He won’t be as kind to Stakhovsky as Sam Querrey was in the first round. Berdych in 2.
(21) Ivo Karlovic vs. Steve Johnson: Johnson twice took down Karlovic in third-set tiebreakers, but the 6’11” Croat got some revenge with a straight-set win last month in Delray Beach. At 36 years old, Karlovic has somehow vastly improved his all-court game. Karlovic in 3.
Jack Sock vs. (33) Gilles Muller: Sock showed flashes of brilliance in a tough one against Yen-Hsun Lu on Friday, but he was understandably rusty in his first match of 2015. Muller, on the other hand, has played 18 matches this season and has won 12. Match-toughness will be the difference. Muller in 3.
Diego Schwartzman vs. (2) Roger Federer. This should have been Federer vs. Jerzy Janowicz. Instead, it’s Federer-Schwartzman. It should not last more than an hour. Federer in 2.
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