ATP Indian Wells Day 5 Predictions Including Matteo Berrettini vs Stefanos Tsitsipas

The top half of the men’s draw looks wide open following the elimination of Alexander Zverev and Casper Ruud – with the stage set for an entertaining fifth day in the Californian desert. As ever, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the slate, including Alex Michelsen vs Daniil Medvedev. But who will book their spot in the last 16 at the ATP Indian Wells Masters.

ATP Indian Wells Day 5 Predictions

Tallon Griekspoor vs Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard

Head-to-head: first meeting

Tallon Griekspoor eliminated the top seed, Zverev, in the German’s opener. It was already his third Top 20 win in the past two weeks and he’s got a knack for prevailing in nerve-wracking thrillers. The likelihood of him getting into another one is really high, considering both he and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard are nowhere near the best returners on tour. Since Griekspoor has been so clutch recently, he just needs to access these mental superpowers again.

Yosuke Watanuki vs Frances Tiafoe

Head-to-head: Tiafoe 1-0 Watanuki

Whenever Yosuke Watanuki can stay healthy for at least a few matches, he instantly shows his quality. It wasn’t expected for him to get a run like this after a rough February, but he’s back on it with some great performances here. Frances Tiafoe hasn’t done anything impressive since the US Open semifinal and is a relatively vulnerable seed at the moment. Watanuki has that ultra-aggressive style to get on top and almost took him out two years ago in Miami already. He’s not locked out of this one.

Prediction: Watanuki in 3

Marcos Giron vs Alexei Popyrin

Head-to-head: Giron 1-1 Poyrin

Marcos Giron produced the upset over Casper Ruud in the second round, despite the relatively slow conditions in Indian Wells seemingly favoring the Norwegian much more. The 31-year-old has been on a very solid run recently with back-to-back quarterfinals in Delray Beach and Acapulco. But if it comes down to a question of upsides, Alexei Popyrin can play at a level that’s more or less unattainable to Giron. The Australian just needs to find it on the day, which is a bit random for him most of the time.

Matteo Berrettini vs Stefanos Tsitsipas

Head-to-head: Tsitsipas 5-1 Berrettini

We’ve just seen this pair in Dubai last week with Stefanos Tsitsipas taking that match and looking sublime ever since. The Greek hadn’t done anything of note on hard courts in such a long while, but is firing on all cylinders since changing his racket to a Babolat. Interestingly, Matteo Berrettini has never defeated him on this surface despite a few tight matches. It’s close, but going against Tsitsipas right now doesn’t seem wise. He’s playing with house money.

Prediction: Tsitsipas in 3