Three to See, Indian Wells (Day 7): Kyrgios, Zverev will finally play

Before each day of play at Indian Wells, we'll preview and predict three must-see matches. For full coverage of the season's first Masters, go to our men’s and women’s tournament pages.

Rafael Nadal [5] vs. Fernando Verdasco [26]

Most signs point to an expected Nadal win in this early-afternoon match. He’s playing well on hard courts, as evidenced by his final-round appearances in Melbourne and Acapulco this year, and he made a routine win out of what could have been a difficult opening-rounder against Guido Pella, on a very hot afternoon in Indian Wells. Rafa also happens to have a 15-3 record against Verdasco, and he won their last meeting in straight sets at this event 12 months ago. But a couple of signs point to the possibility of an upset. Verdasco reached the final in Dubai two weeks ago, and he has beaten Nadal twice on hard courts in the last two years, in Miami in 2015 and Melbourne in 2016. But when Rafa is dialed in and on his game, he does everything better than Verdasco.

Winner: Nadal

Nick Kyrgios [15] vs. Alexander Zverev [18]

We waited for three years to see Kyrgios play Novak Djokovic, until they finally faced off in Acapulco last week. Now the most anticipated first meeting on the men’s side is this NextGen knockdown. Kyrgios comes in as the favorite. At 21, he’s two years older than Zverev, and at No. 16 he’s ranked four spots higher. Most impressive, though, is how the Aussie tends to do in first encounters; against Nadal, Djokovic and Roger Federer, he won. Kyrgios was obviously motivated to prove himself in those matches; rebelling against the establishment is what animates him. The question is, will he be similarly motivated to beat a player who is younger than him and not as highly ranked? He’ll need to be, because Zverev’s ranking is only going higher.

Winner: Kyrgios

Novak Djokovic [2] vs. Juan Martin del Potro [31]

The Group of Death begins in earnest with this early-round night match between Grand Slam champs. They also met early in Acapulco last week. (We really need to get some easier draws for Delpo so his ranking can improve; or, even better, we need the International Tennis Federation to restore ranking points to the Olympics and Davis Cup, the two places where the Argentine excelled last year.) Djokovic won in three sets in Mexico, and he’s 12-4 overall against Del Potro. But Delpo has handed Djokovic two of the toughest losses of his career, at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, and he beat him in the semis in Indian Wells in 2013. Despite the one-sided head to head, this feels like a matchup that could go either way. Last time it went Djokovic’s way; maybe this time it’s Delpo’s turn.

Winner: Del Potro

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