Friday tennis acca tips: Andy Murray won't build on great Indian Wells win

Andy Murray has proven some of his critics wrong this week but it would be a huge surprise if he could stun Andrey Rublev at Indian Wells.

Murray beat David Goffin in his best performance of the year to date to get his fans fired up at last in 2024.

However, he meets Rublev at a time when the Russian has his own points to prove particularly when it comes to mental toughness.

Here we make picks for eight of the matches going down at Indian Wells on Friday. 

 

ATP Indian Wells: Andrey Rublev vs Andy Murray | Pick: Rublev

ATP Indian Wells: Lucas Pouille vs Stefanos Tsitsipas | Pick: Tsitsipas

ATP Indian Wells: Matteo Arnaldi vs Carlos Alcaraz Garfia | Pick: Alcaraz

ATP Indian Wells: Frances Tiafoe vs Dusan Lajovic | Pick: Tiafoe

ATP Indian Wells: Bernarda Pera vs Marketa Vondrousova | Pick: Pera

ATP Indian Wells: Jelena Ostapenko vs Angelique Kerber | Pick: Ostapenko

ATP Indian Wells: Iga Swiatek vs Danielle Rose Collins | Pick: Swiatek

ATP Indian Wells: Nao Hibino vs Veronika Kudermetova | Pick: Kudermetova

 

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ATP Indian Wells: Andrey Rublev vs Andy Murray

Andrey Rublev and Andy Murray will face off in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open for what will be the third time in their career head-to-head.

While the head-to-head is even at 1-1 Murray's win came all the way back in 2017 at the Australian Open.

Neither man will want to be on court for very long in this afternoon start and we could see them seek to conserve energy.

If Rublev gets on top early he should be able to use his power from the wings to demoralise Murray. 

 

ATP Indian Wells: Lucas Pouille vs Stefanos Tsitsipas

Former top-ten player Lucas Pouille is yet to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in three meetings.

The Greek No 1 has won all three of their meetings in straight sets but this will be their first clash on an outdoor hard court.

Tsitsipas can complete a set of wins on each surface if he can prevail over the Frenchman in the desert.

Tsitsipas is out to kickstart what has been a disappointing season to date and really needs this result.

 

ATP Indian Wells: Matteo Arnaldi vs Carlos Alcaraz 

While Matteo Arnaldi does have a top-ten win under his belt this season Carlos Alcaraz is the clear favourite here.

Alcaraz has been patchy in his form this term but warmed up for Indian Wells with a Las Vegas exhibition win over Rafael Nadal.

Alcaraz owns the win from the previous clash between these two players which saw him sweep to a straight-sets triumph at the 2023 US Open.

The Spaniard is among the title hopefuls in Indian Wells and as the defending champion also has rankings points to cling onto.

 

ATP Indian Wells: Frances Tiafoe vs Dusan Lajovic

Frances Tiafoe headlines the late show at Indian Wells with a tough opening assignment against Dusan Lajovic.

Tiafoe's only loss to Lajovic in their five meetings came at Indian Wells when they first met in 2017.

Tiafoe will be out to erase that memory and to push towards being a genuine contender for Masters titles.

Having won the last four meetings, Tiafoe should have a good plan for progress here.

 

ATP Indian Wells: Bernarda Pera vs Marketa Vondrousova

Bernarda Pera and Marketa Vondrousova have never met in the main draw of a WTA Tour event.

However, Pera was victorious when the players clashed in qualifying for the Dubai Tennis Championships in 2018.

Pera will have the home advantage here with a good crowd expected to attend the match.

Vondrousova has yet to really back up her status as a Grand Slam champion since her sensational Wimbledon triumph.

 

ATP Indian Wells: Jelena Ostapenko vs Angelique Kerber

It has been nearly three years since Jelena Ostapenko and Angelique Kerber last shared a court.

Kerber has been away from the game in that time and could find that Ostapenko is a different prospect now.

Even so, Kerber holds the head-to-head lead which does count for something.

Ostapenko could level that right up if she remains in the right mindset and plays at her best level.

 

ATP Indian Wells: Iga Swiatek vs Danielle Rose Collins

Iga Swiatek may lead the head-to-head against Danielle Collins 5-1 but that solitary loss might still haunt her.

Swiatek will at least be acutely aware of the danger Collins poses to her on a hard court.

It also helps that Collins is on a swan song tour and playing at home.

Swiatek will thrive in these conditions though and could feel that she isn't the player under pressure at all.

 

ATP Indian Wells: Nao Hibino vs Veronika Kudermetova

Nao Hibino has enjoyed some decent results this season but will have to play out of her skin to best Veronika Kudermetova.

Kudermetova won't bat an eyelid at Hibino's victory over the veteran Venus Williams to reach this stage.

Kudermetova is among the WTA Tour's ice queens and handles pressure on the big stage very well.

This one should belong to the Russian player if everything runs smoothly for the seed.