Nishikori, Sock, Federer, Kyrgios Aim For Indian Wells SF Spots

  • Posted: Mar 17, 2017

Nishikori, Sock, Federer, Kyrgios Aim For Indian Wells SF Spots

Both remaining quarter-final matches headline Friday play

• No. 4 seed Kei Nishikori and No. 17 seed Jack Sock will meet in Friday’s second quarter-final. Nishikori, who defeated Donald Young on Wednesday, has dominated Americans in recent years. The World No. 5 is 29-3 against Americans since the start of the 2013 season, including a 4-0 run at the BNP Paribas Open. Nishikori has split two FedEx ATP Head 2 Head meetings with Sock. He is seeking his first semi-final in Indian Wells.

Watch Live

• Sock is appearing in his third consecutive ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final after finishing the 2016 season strongly at Shanghai and Paris. The No. 1 American is bidding for the biggest singles win of his career after losing his first seven matches against Top 5 opponents. Sock is 14-2 in 2017, highlighted by his second and third singles titles respectively at Auckland and Delray Beach.

• Neither Roger Federer nor Nick Kyrgios have been broken at the 2017 BNP Paribas Open. Federer and Kyrgios will put their serves to the test when they meet in Friday’s quarter-finals. Their only other match-up was decided in three tiebreakers. Federer saved five match points and Kyrgios saved two before the Aussie emerged with a second-round win at the 2015 Mutua Madrid Open.

• Federer routed long-time rival Rafael Nadal to reach the Indian Wells quarter-finals for the 11th time, including each of his last six appearances. The four-time champion is 8-1 in quarter-finals at the BNP Paribas Open, advancing via walkover in 2008 and losing to Nadal in 2013. Federer is appearing in his 75th ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final overall and bidding for his 57th semi-final.

• Federer, Nadal and Novak Djokovic were selected in the same quarter of an ATP World Tour draw for the first time. The 21-year-old Kyrgios could emerge from that quarter after earning his second win over Djokovic in as many weeks. Kyrgios is attempting to become the first player since Andy Murray at the 2012 London Olympics to defeat Djokovic and Federer in back-to-back rounds.

• If Kyrgios wins, the 2017 BNP Paribas Open will be the first ATP Masters 1000 event since 2012 Paris not to feature Federer, Murray, Djokovic or Nadal in the semi-finals. At least one member of the Big Four has played in the semis of 36 straight ATP Masters 1000s and 71 of the last 72. David Ferrer, Jerzy Janowicz, Gilles Simon and Michael Llodra were the 2012 Paris semi-finalists.

• Eighteen of the Top 25 singles players in the Emirates ATP Rankings were in the Indian Wells doubles draw. None reached the semi-finals, which conclude on Friday with No. 4 seeds Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares meeting No. 8 seeds Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo. Murray and Melo were each No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings before Nicolas Mahut passed them.

Watch your favourite players work on their games by taking in a live stream at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.

View Indian Wells TV Schedule

Source link