BNP Paribas Open 2023 Men's Report

The BNP Paribas Open, also known as the Indian Wells tournament, is a prestigious ATP-1000 tournament, and for that reason, the field is always incredibly strong. The 2023 BNP Paribas Open once again boasted the participation of a large portion of the world's elite. While stars Rafael Nadal (injury) and Novak Djokovic (not permitted to enter the United States) were still absent, top players such as Carlos Alcaraz, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud, and Daniil Medvedev were present at Indian Wells. Dutch players Botic van de Zandschulp and Tallon Griekspoor were also among the main draw participants.

Both Van de Zandschulp and Griekspoor received a bye in the first round, giving both compatriots a bye to advance directly to the second round. Van de Zandschulp unexpectedly retired from the tournament against his Belarusian opponent Ilya Ivashka, trailing 7-5/3-2 due to an ankle injury. Griekspoor won his first match via two tiebreaks (7-6/7-6) against his Argentinian opponent Guido Pella, after which he immediately faced the top-seeded Alcaraz. Although Griekspoor held on bravely (7-6/6-3), he was defeated by the Spanish superstar after two sets.

Highlights BNP Paribas Open 2023

The first round, aside from Wu Tung-Lin's (ATP-175) victory over Alexander Bublik (ATP-46), offered few surprises. The second round, however, was a different story. Alex de Minaur (ATP-18) lost to Hungarian Marton Fucsovics (ATP-84), and the strong Matteo Berrettini was eliminated by Japan's Taro Daniel. Perhaps the biggest upset, however, was Australia's Jordan Thompson, who knocked out world number three Stefanos Tsitsipas in three sets. That Thompson had exhausted his energy in that match was evident in the next. In the third round, he was eliminated by the relatively unknown Alejandro Tabilo.

The third round also proved to be the final stop for other big names like Andy Murray and Holger Rune. While Murray lost the British match against 21-year-old talent Jack Draper, Rune succumbed to the experience of Stan Wawrinka over three sets. Casper Ruud also lost in this phase of the BNP Paribas Open 2023. Chilean Christian Garin, who normally plays his best tennis on clay, proved too strong with a 6-4/7-6 score. After no further notable results in the round of 16, Frances Tiafoe, Cameron Norrie, Medvedev, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Taylor Fritz, Jannik Sinner, Alcaraz, and Felix Auger-Aliassime qualified for the quarterfinals.

Tiafoe and Davidovich Fokina as the biggest surprise

Considering the seeding list, Tiafoe – seeded fourteenth – and Davidovich Fokina ( ^23rd ) were the most surprising names in the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open 2023. The latter defeated Garin and Karen Khachanov, among others, while Tiafoe was too strong for the likes of Marcos Giron and Jason Kubler. While the semifinal was a bridge too far for Davidovich Fokina due to a defeat against Medvedev, Tiafoe even reached the last four. The American defeated Norrie in straight sets and thus joined the semifinalists of the BNP Paribas Open 2023, together with Medvedev, Sinner and Alcaraz. In these semifinals, Alcaraz was too strong for Sinner with 7-6/6-3 and Medvedev defeated Tiafoe 7-5/7-6, so that the final was between Alcaraz and Medvedev.

Final BNP Paribas Open 2023

In this final of the 2023 BNP Paribas Open, the stakes were high for both Medvedev and Alcaraz. For the Russian, victory at Indian Wells would have meant his fourth ATP title of 2023, while Alcaraz, with a win, would become the new world number one. This proved to be a great incentive for the young Spaniard, who played a perfect match from the very first moment. Medvedev, who had won nineteen in a row up to this match, was virtually out of the picture, and it took Alcaraz just an hour and twelve minutes to secure victory and the title at the 2023 BNP Paribas Open. With this victory, he overtook Djokovic in the ATP rankings and could thus immediately call himself the world number one again.