A quick glance at the draw shows that Novak Djokovic
couldn't have asked for a much easier path to the finals. He could face the talented and young Jiri
Vesely in his first match, but Vesely has lost five straight matches since
winning the title in Auckland . Other seeds in Djokovic's section include
Julien Benneteau (who has a grand total of one win on the year), the slumping
John Isner and Kevin Anderson, to whom he hasn't lost since 2008. Djokovic should reach the quarterfinals with
little trouble, though Anderson
could potentially bother him for a set if he wakes up on the right side of the
bed.
The next section features US Open champion Marin Cilic, who
is playing his first tournament of the year, and David Ferrer. While its nice to see Cilic back from his
wrist injury, its hard to imagine he'll be much of a threat in his first
tournament back. 18 year old future
superstar Thanasi Kokkinakis could take advantage of Cilic's rust and make a
run if he can get past the talented Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in the first
round. However, David Ferrer has been on fire to
start the year, and its hard to see anyone else making the quarters.
On paper Andy Murray shouldn't have any trouble reaching the
quarters out of his section, though if the Murray who only managed 4 games against Borna Coric
shows up it could be a different story. The
next highest seed in Murray 's quarter is Ernests Gulbis, who still
hasn't won a match in 2015. While
Philipp Kohlschreiber and Fabio Fognini have their moments, neither look like
they're in good enough form to challenge Murray .
Waiting for Murray
in the quarters should be Kei Nishikori, who has a relatively easy path
himself. Nishikori will face the winner
of the match between Mardy Fish (making his return from health/anxiety issues)
and Ryan Harrison. Harrison has been
playing well lately and played Nishikori close a month ago, but neither Harrison , Fernando Verdasco or Feliciano Lopez will keep
Nishikori from reaching the quarters.
In the first quarterfinal, Ferrer should put up a tough
fight against Djokovic, but it would be a big surprise if he actually pulls the
upset. Djokovic has won their last seven
matches, and generally plays well at Indian Wells. As good as Ferrer has been playing, expect
his run to come to an end against the Serbian world number one.
In the next quarterfinal, Murray vs. Nishikori is a tougher match to
predict. Nishikori won their last match,
but Murray won
the three before that. While Murray has slipped off
since reaching the Australian Open finals, he should be rejuvenated from his
Davis Cup win. Murray gets the edge based on his movement
and variety, but it certainly won't be surprising if Nishikori is the one to
advance.
In the semifinals, Djokovic vs. Murray would give us a rematch of the
Australian Open finals. This is a
rivalry that has increasingly gotten away from Murray , as he's now lost five straight and
eight of the last nine. Djokovic may be
coming off a loss to Federer in Dubai ,
but he is more suited to the slower courts at Indian Wells. There's simply no reason to believe Murray will turn around
the rivalry here, and Djokovic should be the last man standing in the top half.
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