BNP Paribas Open men's draw: One matchup made tournament organizers wince
The BNP Paribas Open men's draw was revealed Monday, a day earlier than the usual rhythm of the tournament. That's because the men's main draw will begin on Wednesday this year, as opposed to the usual Thursday.
The tournament organizers watch the draw intently, hoping to avoid early head-to-head matchups between two popular players. The goal is for as many of the top draws to last as long as possible. Makes sense, right?
That's why there was one moment during Monday's reveal that had to make Tommy Haas and company wince a little.
Here are my quick thoughts about the BNP Paribas Open men's draw:
That wincing moment
One of the most anticipated debuts at this year's BNP Paribas Open is the first-ever showing of young American star Ben Shelton. Shelton burst on the scene at the Australian Open by winning four matches before falling to fellow American Tommy Paul in the quarterfinals. How new on the scene is the 20-year-old Shelton? His trip to Australia was the first time he ever left the country. So it was with nervous excitement that organizers watched as the names dropped into the draw.
Oof! Shelton's first match is against Italian veteran Fabio Fognini and if Shelton wins, he plays Taylor Fritz. A worst-case scenario for the tourney as — with the absence of "The Big Three" — the defending champion Fritz may be the biggest draw.
Matchups we'd like to see
Aside from Fritz-Shelton, here are some potential matchups that would make us grab the popcorn.
Daniil Medvedev vs. Alexander Zverev: Medvedev is on a roll. Zverev used to be on a roll. It would be a fascinating Round of 16 matchup to see which player can break through and make a championship run at Indian Wells. It's surprising that neither man has ever made even a semifinal here in the desert. Two years ago, they were the No. 1 and No. 3 seed. This year they are the No. 5 and No. 12 seed. If they meet, the winner will be in good shape to finally break through.
Brandon Nakashima vs. John Isner: A first-round matchup that features two of the 11 American men currently in the top 50 of the world rankings. Nakashima (No. 48) is a 21-year-old rising star. Isner (No. 39) is a 37-year-old who has had success at this event, reaching the championship match in 2012. It should be a fun contrast in styles, and it's Nakashima who holds a 2-1 advantage in their head-to-head meetings. The winner moves on to face the aforementioned Medvedev.
Andy Murray vs. Carlos Alcaraz: OK, admittedly this would take some doing by Murray to make this happen. He'd have to advance to the Round of 16 and beat two ranked players along the way (No. 15 Pablo Carreno Busta and No. 24 Dan Evans), but it would make for a classic. Alcaraz is the top seed at Indian Wells with Novak Djokovic not in the mix. He is exciting against any player, but to see him against the never-say-die Murray would be an instant classic. They've split two previous matches, including a victory for Murray here in Indian Wells in 2021.
If form holds
Here's a look at the way the quarterfinals will unfold if the top eight seeded men all advance. It's a good way to see which of the top players has the toughest path.
1-Carlos Alcaraz vs. 8-Felix Auger-Aliassime
4-Taylor Fritz vs. 7-Holger Rune
3-Casper Ruud vs. 5-Daniil Medvedev
2-Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. 6-Andrew Rublev
Alcaraz would face Fritz in the semifinals (sorry again tournament organizers as this would probably be their dream final) and Tsitsipas would face Ruud.
Shad Powers is a columnist for The Desert Sun. Reach him at shad.powers@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: BNP Paribas Open men's draw: One Indian Wells matchup a bummer for tourney organizers
