Three to See, Indian Wells Day 5: Halep vs. Gauff; Zverev vs. Paul; Swiatek vs. Tauson

WATCH: Gauff's second-round press conference

Simona Halep vs. Coco Gauff

The first and so far only encounter between the Romanian and the American came at Wimbledon in 2019. Back then, Halep was on her way to her second Grand Slam title, while Gauff was wowing London in her debut as a 15-year-old, a run that Halep put to a fairly routine end, 6-3, 6-3. Three years later, the tables haven’t turned, exactly, but the playing field between these two is much more level. Gauff has moved into the Top 20, while the 30-year-old Halep, after a long stay, has dropped out of it. Each of these women has her good days and not-so-good-days; Gauff is still improving her serve and forehand, while Halep is trying to find ways to win that don’t involve chasing every ball down for hours at a time. While Gauff has the higher ranking now, I think Halep still has the edge one-on-one. Winner: Halep

Alexander Zverev vs. Tommy Paul

Plenty of tennis fans likely, and rightfully, believe that Zverev has no business playing in this tournament after his chair-smacking rant in Acapulco two weeks ago. But as far as tennis contests go, this could be a good one, and possibly a significant one for Paul. At 24, after six years on tour, with an ATP title and a Top 40 ranking to his name, he has started to build some momentum, and started to learn how to put his obvious athletic skills to use. A signature win over a Top 5 opponent at an event like Indian Wells would seem to be the next step for the New Jersey native. It may help that Paul actually has a win over this Top 5 opponent. In their only previous meeting, in Acapulco in 2020, he beat Zverev in straight sets. Winner: Paul

Iga Swiatek vs. Clara Tauson

I was surprised to be reminded that Swiatek, at 20, is just one year older than Tauson. I guess this is what happens when you win Roland Garros as a teenager; you become part of the established elite right away. It also helps that Swiatek has backed up that win with steady results. Now, after a title in Doha and a semifinal run at the Australian Open, she seems poised to take another leap upward. But while Tauson doesn’t have anything like a Slam title to her name yet, she’s heading in the same direction as Swiatek, and seems destined to join her in the Top 10 someday. Usually, when we say a player is disruptive, we mean that he or she disrupts an opponent’s rhythm with a variety of spins and shots. Tauson disrupts with her power alone; not many opponents can match the weight she puts on her ground strokes. Swiatek handled that power pretty well in their only meeting, in the Billie Jean King Cup three years ago. But it might not be as easy to fend off now. Winner: Swiatek