Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz could play five-time tournament winner Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals of the Indian Wells Open which gets underway from March 5 The two superstars last met in a blockbuster quarter-final at the Australian Open, which was won by Djokovic in four sets. Both men will have to be ready to roll early in the event with tricky draws.
Alcaraz will begin his title defence against Frenchman Quentin Halys or a qualifier. The Spaniard has never played Halys. The first seeded opponent the 21-year-old could battle is in-form 27th seed Denis Shapovalov, who claimed his maiden ATP 500 crown in Dallas. Djokovic could take on Nick Kyrgios in the second round. The Australian, who played Djokovic in the 2022 Wimbledon final, will open against a qualifier.
If the Alcaraz-Djokovic blockbuster comes to fruition, it would be their ninth ATP Head-to-Head showdown. Djokovic leads their series 5-3, ATP reports. Top seed Alexander Zverev is pursuing his first Indian Wells trophy. He will be keen to get on track at the season’s first ATP Masters 1000 event, having won four of his past seven matches.
The German will face Tallon Griekspoor or Miomir Kecmanovic in the second round. Big-serving 29th seed Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard is a potential third-round opponent for Zverev.
Third seed Taylor Fritz will try to add to his Indian Wells resume, beginning with his second-round clash against Argentine Sebastian Baez or a qualifier. Fritz owns a 20-7 record at the Paribas Open according to the ATP Win/Loss Index. The American has not fallen short of the Round of 16 since 2019.
All eyes will be on 18-year-old Joao Fonseca when he takes the court for a very challenging first round tilt with Great Britain’s Jacob Fearnley. The winner faces No. 13-seeded Jack Draper in round two.
Fonseca won his first Grand Slam match at the Australian Open in January, and last month became the tenth-youngest title winner in ATP history at Buenos Aires.
