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The ninth day of main draw action at the 2023 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells on Thursday (March 16) will feature two matches as the quarterfinal lineup gets completed. Four seeded players will be in action.
On Wednesday, Frances Tiafoe beat the in-form Cameron Norrie in straight sets to reach his first career Masters 1000 semifinal. In the only other last-eight match of the day, top seed Daniil Medvedev beat Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Without further ado, here's a look at how both quarterfinals on the ninth day at the BNP Paribas Open could pan out:
#1 Taylor Fritz (defending BNP Paribas Open champion) vs Jannik Sinner
Fourth seed Taylor Fritz will continue his BNP Paribas Open title defence against 11th-seeded Jannik Sinner.
Fritz has been on a roll since an early exit at the Australian Open in January. With three wins this week, the World No. 5 is 17-4 on the season, having reached the last four in Acapulco and Dallas on either side of a title run in Delray Beach.
Meanwhile, Sinner improved to 15-3 in 2023 with a trio of wins this week. The Italian, who won his first title of the year in Montpellier, lost in the Rotterdam final to Daniil Medvedev.
Although both Fritz and Sinner have similar gamestyles, the former should improve to 2-0 in the head-to-head against the Italian, as he has been on a roll on north American hardcourts this year.
Prediction: Fritz in three sets
#2 Carlos Alcaraz vs Felix Auger-Aliassime
Top seed Carlos Alcaraz will continue his bid for a third Masters 1000 title against the eighth-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime at the BNP Paribas Open.
Alcaraz has lost just once in 12 matches this year. The Spanish teenager won his first title of the season at the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires before losing to Cameron Norrie in the Rio de Janeiro final.
However, the former World No. 1 has found form in the Californian desert, rolling into the last eight without dropping a set, having fallen in the last four to his compatriot Rafael Nadal last year.
Meanwhile, Auger-Aliassime went the distance in two of his three matches, including a third-set tiebreak against Tommy Paul in the previous round. The World No. 10 (11-5) is looking to reach his second semifinal of the season, after Doha.
Auger-Aliassime, who is 3-0 against Alcaraz, is a solid all-court player, but Alcaraz - with his superior overall game, movement, and athleticism - should win this one.
Prediction: Alcaraz in straight sets
