With a winning streak now at 17, Daniil Medvedev remains the one to beat at Indian Wells if fit. The Russian is set to play Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the quarter finals although there will be concerns over his ability to compete after a fall in the previous round. Whoever wins this will consider the semi final a very winnable match with either Cameron Norrie or Frances Tiafoe up next.
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Medvedev had made clear his opposition to this court in previous days but it came to a head during his win over Alexander Zverev, with protestations during a mid-match discussion with the umpire. Rolling his right ankle midway through the second set is likely to have made things much worse although he was impressive in coming back to secure the victory with a late break in the third set. “When the adrenaline goes down, it will be pretty painful, so I am going to probably do a scan to see what it is and if I can continue to play.” Medvedev said on the injury.
Davidovich Fokina has been slowly making his way up the rankings having broken into the Top 50 around two years ago. The Spaniard does prefer clay but has handled himself well on hard courts in the past. A run that includes mpressive wins over Christian Garin and Karen Khachanov have got him to this stage, with the Spaniard securing a career best run at an American hard court Masters event this fortnight.
A lot of how this goes will remain down to whether Medvedev is entering the match with an injury that can get worse or just pain that can be worked on. Assuming he is fit, it will require a player that offers a greater and consistent threat to take the Russian out – even if he hates playing on this slow court. Davidovich Fokina will need to push the issue but it will be difficult for him to do while trying to dominate from the baseline is near impossible against a firing Medvedev.
Prediction – Daniil Medvedev in straight sets
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