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The entire quarterfinal lineup at the Indian Wells Masters will be played on Thursday, headlined in part by a first-ever meeting for Ben Shelton and Jack Draper. Carlos Alcaraz continues his title defense against Francisco Cerundolo.
(11) Ben Shelton vs. (13) Jack Draper
It will be a showdown between two left-handers with eyes on the top 10 when Shelton and Draper go head-to-head for the first time in their careers during quarterfinal action at the BNP Paribas Open on Thursday. If either man reaches the final he will have a chance to make his top-10 debut as early as next Monday. That’s how well both guys are playing in 2025–and really dating back to last summer.Needless to say, this has all the makings of a blockbuster battle. Shelton, ranked No. 12, made a run to the Australian Open semis and has advanced in Indian Wells with straight-set wins over Mariano Navone, Karen Khachanov, and Brandon Nakashima. Draper, ranked No. 14, is 10-2 this season following straight-set defeats of Joao Fonseca, Jenson Brooksby, and Taylor Fritz. The margins in this matchup will be incredibly small and a slight edge from the back of the court goes to Draper–especially off the backhand wing in pressure moments. Shelton certainly has a chance but will need a very high percentage of first serves to get across the finish line. An evening match in Stadium 2 is also far from ideal for the American, who would prefer an afternoon match in Stadium 1 in terms of playing conditions.
Pick: Draper in 3
(25) Francisco Cerundolo vs. (2) Carlos Alcaraz
Alcaraz is the two-time defending champion of the Indian Wells Masters and–given how he has looked so far this fortnight–anything less than a third consecutive title would be a huge surprise. The third-ranked Spaniard was absolutely ruthless in straight-set beatdowns of Quentin Halys, Denis Shapovalov, and Grigor Dimitrov on his way to the quarterfinals.
Up next for Alcaraz is a third encounter with Cerundolo (second on the main tour). They have split their two previous tilts, as Cerundolo got the job done 6-2, 6-4 at a clay-court Futures event in 2019 before Alcaraz cruised 6-1, 7-5 last summer at Queen’s Club. Cerundolo is loving slow, high-bouncing conditions in the desert and has used them to oust Mackenzie McDonald, Botic van de Zandschulp, and Alex de Minaur. Unfortunately for the 26th-ranked Argentine, conditions are just as good if not even better for Alcaraz. Another dominant performance is likely in the cards for the No. 2 seed.
Pick: Alcaraz in 2
