Three to See, Indian Wells Day 8: Monfils vs. Alcaraz; Sinner vs. Kyrgios; Swiatek vs. Keys

The Break: Who is Jenson Brooksby?

Gael Monfils vs. Carlos Alcaraz

Monfils is nearly twice Alcaraz’s age, but the Frenchman is eternally youthful in spirit and body. Witness his rousing, and customarily acrobatic, win over world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev on Sunday. Can the 35-year-old maintain that level against the meteorically-rising 18-year-old from Spain, who looks like he might be No. 1 by the end of the year? Monfils and Alcaraz have never played, and while Monfils has much more experience, Alcaraz already seems to be the more consistent and reliable competitor. He burned through countryman Roberto Bautista Agut in his last match, and if he plays anything like that again, he’ll beat Monfils, too. Winner: Alcaraz

Jannik Sinner vs. Nick Kyrgios

The age-old question must be asked again: Is Kyrgios for real this time? He says he’s happy, he looks fit, he’s coming off his first Grand Slam title—in doubles—and he just made routine 6-4, 6-4 work of a Top 10 player, Casper Ruud. But we already know what Kyrgios is capable of with a racquet; what we need to see is how he reacts if, say, he goes down a break, or loses a set, or gets a time violation—will he continue to be Nice Nick then? If he can keep his head, he has a good shot of knocking off another seed in Sinner. The two have never played, and while the Italian is the more powerful and consistent player from the baseline, he won’t be able to match the single-shot firepower of Kyrgios’ serve. Plus, Kyrgios may be playing for a chance to face Rafael Nadal in the quarters, and you know he doesn’t want to let that slip. Winner: Kyrgios

Iga Swiatek vs. Madison Keys

This is a battle between two players who have been very much on the upswing to start 2022. Swiatek and Keys have each won a tournament this year, and each of them reached the semifinals at the Australian Open. Since then, Swiatek has maintained her high level, while Keys has dipped, losing in the first round in Guadalajara and Monterrey. Swiatek also won their only head-to-head meeting, last summer, on clay in Rome. Which of them will continue to swing upward? Most of the time, Swiatek would be favored, but Keys’ power gives her the higher ceiling on any given day. Playing on hard courts in the States might make it that kind of day. Winner: Keys