Some of the top names on the Tennis Tour joined the Indian Wells party on Friday and the remainder of the draw will now enter the fray on Saturday as the Second Round is completed.
There have been some mixed results with the last two days ending with 1-1 records, but there is a long week to go in the first of two Masters events to be played in North America this month.
Saturday looks to be a busier day for the Tennis Picks with four selections made, all from the ATP tournament, and this is when the tournament really begins to motor.
Carlos Alcaraz - 5.5 games v Grigor Dimitrov: Twelve months ago, Carlos Alcaraz crushed Grigor Dimitrov for the loss of just two games right here in Indian Wells, but that was a Fourth Round match and the World Number 1 had to snap a two match losing run to this opponent.
In 2026, Carlos Alcaraz is playing at a much higher level than Grigor Dimitrov on his return from an injury.
Even with that in mind, it is not expected to be as comfortable a win for Carlos Alcaraz as it was when these two met in 2025, although the Spaniard is right to be considered a significant favourite.
This is the first competitive match that Carlos Alcaraz will have played in Indian Wells this year, but he has been on the grounds for some time and that will help. Confidence is not going to be any issue considering Alcaraz has won all twelve matches played in 2026 and has picked up titles in Melbourne and Doha.
Grigor Dimitrov battled for almost two and a half hours to win his First Round match, but he was far from convincing and the level increases significantly in the Second Round.
The Bulgarian has yet to find his best form since his return from injury and he will be under pressure to serve well enough to contain the threat that Carlos Alcaraz brings onto the court.
There was nothing wrong with the Grigor Dimitrov performance in the First Round, and the signs of improving the return game will certainly give him belief.
However, this is a tough test for any player on the Tour and especially for one that. is perhaps not feeling quite at his very best.
Over the last twelve months, Carlos Alcaraz has been keeping opponents under constant pressure with his returning and that may see him break down the Dimitrov game on Saturday.
Luciano Darderi - 2.5 games v Rinky Hijikata: It is no surprise that Luciano Darderi took in the South American Golden Swing on the clay courts rather than the hard court events.
He had a successful time with a title secured and the World Number 21 will be looking to make a better transition onto the hard courts compared with last year. An early loss at Indian Wells means Luciano Darderi has plenty of Ranking Points to pick up with a couple of wins, even if he has struggled to put the consistency together on the hard courts.
2026 might be looking brighter having finished up at the Australian Open with a 4-2 record, but there is still room for improvement in his game on this surface.
Despite that, the Italian is rightly favoured to beat Rinky Hijikata who has slipped outside the top 100 of the World Rankings.
The Australian has always been pretty happy on the hard courts and he has won plenty of Qualifiers to earn spots in main draws, although without having a big impact in a tournament as he would have liked.
Rinky Hijikata has yet to win two matches in a row in the main draw of any ATP Tour event, but he will take aim at doing that in the Second Round here.
Out of the two players, Hijikata has been the one having more success on the return and that could be important on a surface like the one that tends to play at this hard court Masters event.
However, Luciano Darderi will take plenty of confidence out of beating Rinky Hijikata at a couple of Grand Slam events, including a crushing display at the US Open last year.
The Italian has won all six sets against this opponent and Luciano Darderi may do enough to edge past this spread.
MY PICKS: Carlos Alcaraz - 5.5 Games @ 1.53 Bet Fred (1 Unit)
Luciano Darderi - 2.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Cameron Norrie - 1.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet Fred (1 Unit)
Alex De Minaur - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Indian Wells Update: 2-3, - 1.10 Units (5 Units Staked, - 22% Yield)
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