Three to See, Indian Wells Day 7: Rublev vs. Tiafoe; Swiatek vs. Kerber; Keys vs. Dart

WATCH: Practice Pass: Daniil Medvedev, Frances Tiafoe and more train at UCLA ahead of the BNP Paribas Open.

Andrey Rublev vs. Frances Tiafoe

Another day in Indian Wells, and we have another American man taking on a member of the Top 10 elite. So far U.S. players have fared well in these encounters, even when they haven’t pulled out wins, and there’s no reason to think the 30th-ranked Tiafoe can’t make this one very competitive. In their only previous meeting, last year at the US Open, he came out a five-set winner in a memorable night match. Back then, of course, Rublev wasn’t on a two-tournament win streak, the way he is right now. This time the Russian should also be determined not to lose two in a row to a lower-ranked player. Setting and timing may be key here: A late hour in Stadium Two, where the fans are close to the players, may be just what the Maryland showman ordered. Winner: Rublev

Iga Swiatek vs. Angelique Kerber

Is Swiatek entering a new phase and reaching a new plateau? With Ashleigh Barty absent and Aryna Sabalenka out, she’s the highest seed left in the draw, and is on a seven-match win streak. In her last round, she ran away from a quality player, Clara Tauson, over the last two sets. Kerber, by contrast, came to this tournament with zero momentum, and zero wins in 2022. But she looked to be in good form in her last match, a 6-2, 6-1 win over Daria Kasatkina, and the 34-year-old did have something of a late-career renaissance last season. Unlike Swiatek, Kerber has already proven that she has No. 1-level talent. Which means this should be an interesting first meeting and clash of generations. Winner: Kerber

Madison Keys vs. Harriet Dart

We haven’t had a chance to ask this very often over the last couple of decades, so here goes: What’s in the water in England? Emma Raducanu, Cameron Norrie, Daniel Evans, Andy Murray, and now Harriet Dart: The Brits are suddenly everywhere. Or at least somewhere. Dart, 25, says her trip to the fourth round in Indian Wells feels “surreal,” and it’s easy to see why. She’s ranked No. 122 and has never been higher than No. 99, and she spends most of her time playing qualifying matches and ITF events. But she has won five matches in the desert, including qualies, and played what surely must be the best tennis of her career to knock out Elina Svitolina and Kaia Kanepi in the last two rounds. But Dart will need to be even better against Keys, who beat her earlier this year in Melbourne, before going on to reach the semifinals at the Australian Open. Winner: Dart