Norrie, Nadal Scale Through To The Round of 16 At Indian Wells

Defending champion, Cameron Norrie has progressed to the Round of 16 at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. Norrie defeated Nikoloz Basilashvili 3-6 6-3 6-1 to proceed to the next round. It was the same Basilashvili that Norrie faced at the final of this same competition last year, defeating him 3-6 6-4 6-1. The Brit is seeking to win the title for the second year in a row. He would go ahead to face 21-year-old Jenson Brooksby in the next round. Brooksby handed Stefanos Tsitsipas defeat after beating him 1-6 6-3 6-2.

Russian Daniil Medvedev has been knocked out of Indian Wells after losing 4-6 6-3 6-1 to Gael Monfils. This is the first time in 13 years that the Frenchman would beat a world number one player. Monfils would go ahead to face Carlos Alcaraz in the next round. The loss is quite significant for Medvedev as it means that he would lose his number one spot when the ATP Rankings is updated next Monday, spending barely two weeks as world number one. Novak Djokovic would reclaim the number one spot, even though he is currently not playing any event. The Serbian, who remains unvaccinated, is not in Indian Wells because the United States requires proof of vaccination to visitors coming into the country.

Spaniard Rafael Nadal continues to stay unseated this year, after beating Dan Evans  7-5 6-3 to secure his 17th win of the year. The Australian Open champion has been on fire since he returned from surgery late last year. He has won three titles this year and has not lost any match. He would play  Reilly Opelka in the next round. Opelka was the one who beat Canadian Denis Shapovalov  6-7 (4-7) 6-4 6-4.

Written by: Leon Osamor