Emma Raducanu: Johanna Konta 'was watching in awe' as teenager won Grand Slam
Former British number one Johanna Konta was “watching in awe” as successor Emma Raducanu claimed the US Open title.
Former British number one Johanna Konta was “watching in awe” as successor Emma Raducanu claimed the US Open title.
A new champion will be crowned from one of the most wide-open fields in many years at this year’s BNP Paribas Open. A wrist injury has sidelined defending champion Dominic Thiem, while the four men before him who prevailed in the desert – Juan Martin del Potro, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal – are all absent.
Not since 2010, when Federer’s coach Ivan Ljubicic defeated Andy Roddick, has another name triumphed. US Open champion Daniil Medvedev is the top seed ahead of Rolex Monte Carlo Masters champion Stefanos Tsitsipas, but of the top eight seeds, only one has reached the quarter-finals in the desert before.
Here is a rundown on the top eight seeds…
1. Daniil Medvedev: The Russian was ruthless in his sole match on Laver Cup duties in Boston less than a fortnight ago, allowing Denis Shapovalov just four games. It was a rested and reassured Medvedev who returned to competition following his breakthrough maiden major in New York (d. Djokovic). Medvedev, who also boasts titles in Marseille, Mallorca and the ATP Masters 1000 trophy in Toronto this year, is yet to shine at Indian Wells, arriving with a modest 3-3 record, following round of 32 appearances in 2018 and 2019.
2. Stefanos Tsitsipas: The 23-year-old scored a first victory over Nick Kyrgios in three ATP Head2Head meetings in Boston in his first match since a five-set third-round exit at the US Open, where he fell to #NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz. The Greek has reached the quarter-finals in five of his six Masters 1000 events this season, winning in Monte-Carlo, but only has a 1-2 record in the desert, which includes a loss to Felix Auger-Aliassime in his opening match of the 2019 edition.
3. Alexander Zverev: Medvedev may have landed the silverware in New York, but Zverev bagged the gold at the Tokyo Olympics as part of a 16-match winning streak, which Djokovic ended in the US Open semi-finals. Victory over John Isner at the Laver Cup has the German at 17-1 since Wimbledon, but he stands at 5-4 at Indian Wells, where he has reached the round of 16 just once, in a 2016 defeat to Nadal.
4. Andrey Rublev: After reaching his eighth semi-final of the season at the weekend in San Diego (l. to Norrie), the Russian continues his California campaign at Indian Wells where he holds a 1-2 record, including a round of 32 run in 2018 as a lucky loser. Rublev has reached two Masters 1000 finals this year (Monte Carlo and Cincinnati) and pursues his first trophy since Rotterdam in February.
5. Matteo Berrettini: The Italian backed up his maiden run to a Grand Slam final at Wimbledon with his third straight major quarter-final where Djokovic again had his number in New York. The 25-year-old, a champion at Belgrade and the Queen’s Club, beat Auger-Aliassime in his sole Laver Cup singles outing, but arrives at Indian Wells having never won a match from two main draw appearances.
6. Casper Ruud: The first five-time titlist of 2021, Ruud is on a roll since his second-round loss at the US Open (l. to van de Zandschulp). The Norwegian beat Reilly Opelka in his Laver Cup debut and went on to win his first hard-court title at the San Diego Open (d. Norrie). He has twice contested qualifying at Indian Wells, where he failed to make the main draw both times.
7. Felix Auger-Aliassime: Despite a defeat to Berrettini in Boston, the 21-year-old returns for his third appearance at Indian Wells on the back of a maiden Grand Slam semi-final showing at the US Open (l. to Medvedev). Sitting 11th in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin, the Canadian will be keen to stamp his claim for a Nitto ATP Finals berth in the desert, where his 3-2 record includes a win over then No. 10 Tsitsipas to reach the round of 32 in 2019.
8. Hubert Hurkacz: The Pole added the Metz trophy less than a fortnight ago for his second title of 2021, following his Masters 1000 triumph in Miami. The only top-eight seed to have reached the quarter-finals at Indian Wells (4-1 record), the Pole did so on debut two years ago, when he defeated three Top 30 players in succession – Lucas Pouille, Kei Nishikori and Shapovalov – before falling to eventual runner-up Federer.
World No. 5 Andrey Rublev may get an early shot to avenge last week’s loss to Cameron Norrie following the release of the BNP Paribas Open draw Tuesday.
The Russian could meet the lefty in the fourth round as the Indian Wells Tennis Garden looks to host its award-winning ATP Masters 1000 for the first time since March 2019 due to the pandemic. Fourth-seeded Rublev, who fell to Norrie last week at the San Diego Open, will be looking to shore up his place at the Nitto ATP Finals with a deep run in the desert, as will the likes of Alexander Zverev and Matteo Berrettini.
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Andy x Andrey ?#BNPPO21 @andy_murray @AndreyRublev97 pic.twitter.com/NwVqmQ9p0e
— BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) October 5, 2021
Rublev will open against the winner of Spaniards Carlos Taberner and Jaume Munar and is seeded to meet Serb Dusan Lajovic in the third round.
Zverev, who seeks a third Masters 1000 title of the season, has a challenging draw that potentially pits him against two of the brightest young starts in the game. The Olympic gold medallist will open against a qualifier or 20-year-old Jenson Brooksby, who took a set from World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in his most recent match in the fourth round of the US Open. In the third round, the German is seeded to meet 18-year-old Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, himself a recent quarter-finalist at Flushing Meadows.
But Alcaraz, who as the 30th seed has a first-round bye, first must navigate a tough opener against former World No. 1 Andy Murray or wily French lefty Adrian Mannarino.
Sixth seed Matteo Berrettini, who is sixth in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin, more than 1000 points clear of his next Turin challenger Casper Ruud, begins his campaign against American Denis Kudla or a qualifier. He could meet 31st seed Taylor Fritz in the third round and countryman Jannik Sinner, himself chasing a Turin berth, or John Isner in the fourth round.
Warming up to day ✌️ at the #TennisParadise player field ☀️ pic.twitter.com/R9uU5K3tck
— BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) October 5, 2021
Top seed Daniil Medvedev, who can pull within 1000 points of Djokovic in the Race should he win his second Masters 1000 of the season, will open against the winner of Mackenzie McDonald and James Duckworth. He is seeded to meet Serb Filip Krajinovic in the third round and either Reilly Opelka or Grigor Dimitrov in the fourth round.
Men’s main draw action begins Thursday, one day after the women’s main draw commences.
Read: Clijsters returns, Raducanu debuts as Indian Wells draw is revealed
Did You Know?
Players voted The BNP Paribas Open as the best Masters 1000 tournament for six consecutive years between 2014-2019. The award was not given in 2020 due to the pandemic.