Ricky’s picks for the Indian Wells quarterfinals, including Medvedev and Norrie

The BNP Paribas Open has been a roller-coaster ride for Daniil Medvedev, who will try to reach the semifinals when he faces Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Wednesday. Cameron Norrie and Frances Tiafoe are also in action.

Here are my previews and picks for the two matchups.

(5) Daniil Medvedev vs. (23) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina

The Indian Wells Masters has been a bit of a circus for Medvedev so far and the show will continue as competition moves into the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Hopefully it will continue, that is. There are doubts about Medvedev’s status after he rolled his ankle in the second set against Alexander Zverev on Tuesday. The 27-year-old came back to prevail 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 7-5 after three hours and 17 minutes, but he said afterward that his ankle was getting worse after the match as the adrenaline wore off.

Combine Medvedev’s physical issues with an extremely slow hard court that has riled him up throughout the tournament and you have to be cautious about his chances for the remainder of the week. That wouldn’t normally be the case for someone who has won three titles and 17 matches in a row. Alas, all is not well for Medvedev heading into a showdown with Davidovich Fokina. This event has been much different for the 28th-ranked Spaniard, who made no fuss and no headlines while earning his quarterfinal spot. He impressively went about his business in beating Yibing Wu, Karen Khachanov, and Cristian Garin–dropping just one set to Garin in the process. As well as Davidovich Fokina is playing, the outcome of Wednesday’s match all comes down to Medvedev. That could be good news or bad news for either player. If Medvedev is close to 100 percent, he should roll; if he isn’t, Davidovich Fokina has a real chance.

Pick: Medvedev in 2

(10) Cameron Norrie vs. (14) Frances Tiafoe

Norrie and Tiafoe will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers on Wednesday. Their only previous meeting came two years ago on the hard courts of Delray Beach, where Norrie got the job done 6-0, 3-6, 6-4. The 12th-ranked Brit has to be confident heading into this rematch. He is in amazing form this season (21-3 record with a title in Rio de Janeiro) and always plays well in Indian Wells (title in 2021, quarterfinals last year). Norrie is back in the quarters following victories over Tung-Lin Wu, Taro Daniel (from a set and a break down), and Andrey Rublev.

Tiafoe had never previously reached the fourth round at this event, but he is through to the quarterfinals this time around thanks to defeats of Marcos Giron, Jason Kubler, and Alejandro Tabilo. The 16th-ranked American has rolled so far, but he has been entirely untested and Norrie represents a massive step up in competition. Norrie is battle tested, playing awesome tennis, and loves the Indian Wells conditions–unlike most players! The left-hander should have the edge on Wednesday.

Pick: Norrie in 2

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on Twitter at @Dimonator.