It’s quarterfinals day in the men’s singles draw at the BNP Paribas Open on Thursday, with all eight remaining title hopefuls taking the court. Among those in action are Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune. They are going up against Arthur Fils and Tallon Griekspoor, respectively.
Here are my picks for two of Thursday’s best matchups.
(20) Arthur Fils vs. (5) Daniil Medvedev
It remains to be see to just what extent Medvedev is back, but early returns at the Indian Wells Masters are encouraging. The fifth-ranked Russian dropped a mere four games against both Bu Yunchaokete and Tommy Paul in addition to getting a first-set retirement from Alex Michelsen. The sample size of success is small so far this fortnight, but there is no reason why Medvedev can’t secure a spot in a fourth consecutive Indian Wells final.
Standing in his way of the semis is Fils, who lost their only previous meeting 6-4, 6-2 on the indoor hard courts of Vienna in 2023. The 20-year-old Frenchman is the first player born in 20024 to reach the last eight of a 1000-point tournament after beating Gabriel Diallo, Lorenzo Musetti, and Marcos Giron. Fils is coming off back-to-back three-setters, which makes Medvedev an even tougher test.
Pick: Medvedev in 2
Tallon Griekspoor vs. (12) Holger Rune
Rune vs. Griekspoor has all the makings of a real battle between two in-form players. Both of their first two encounters were competitive and it is the Dutchman who owns a somewhat surprising 2-0 advantage in the head-to-head series. Griekspoor got the job done 7-6(8), 7-5 at the 2022 Hamburg event and 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 at the Madrid Masters last spring (both on clay).
The world No. 43 has been outstanding in Tennis Paradise. He knocked off top seed Alexander Zverev in the second round while also ousting Miomir Kecmanovic, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, and Yosuke Watanuki. Rune has done well to beat Corentin Moutet, Ugo Humbert, and Stefanos Tsitsipas, but the 13th-ranked Dane was previously struggling in 2025. Griekspoor is them more consistent performer right now and he obviously likes this particular matchup.
Pick: Griekspoor in 3
Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on Twitter at @Dimonator.