In this form, it’s hard to see where Andrey Rublev’s red-hot run will end.

The seventh seed faced a potentially tricky assignment in Tuesday’s BNP Paribas Open third round, facing up against exciting home favourite Frances Tiafoe. Rublev showed little interest in getting involved in a drawn-out affair, however, crashing 21 winners in 70 minutes to breeze through with a 6-3, 6-4 victory.

“To play Frances is never easy and I’m happy to be through today and through to the fourth round for the first time in Indian Wells,” said Rublev after the match. “We’ll see what’s going to happen. Now [there’s] no pressure, I’ve done better than ever here, so now I just need to try to relax and play tennis.”

The win on Stadium 1 extends Rublev’s winning streak to 11 after he took the titles in both Marseille and Dubai. It also avenged defeat to Tiafoe in the pair’s only previous ATP Head2Head meeting, a five-set thriller at the 2021 US Open. The American has struggled with an elbow injury since then, winning just two matches in 2022 so far, but on his day is a threat to anyone on tour.

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Rublev is a dominant force at ATP 500 events. His February triumph in Dubai was his fifth title at that level, but he hasn’t always found it easy to produce similar form at ATP Masters 1000 series tournaments. The tide showed signs of turning in 2021, however, as he reached the semi-finals at the Miami Open presented by Itau and the championship match at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters and the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati

This performance suggested another deep run is on the cards in the California desert, despite an early setback as Tiafoe broke in the opening game. Rublev hit back to level at 2-2 and clinched a second crucial break at the tail-end of the set to get himself in front.

The second set was decided by a solitary break for Rublev, a dominant serving display making it difficult for Tiafoe to get any sort of foothold in the match.

Rublev acknowledged afterwards that his performance on serve had been key to nullifying the powerful Tiafoe game. According to Infosys ATP Stats, he won 82 per cent (28/34) points behind his first delivery and fired seven aces in the match.

“When you feel your serve, and you feel that you can go full power and are most likely going to make it, of course it’s going to give you extra confidence,” he said. “Because then you know you can start to dictate the rally, even if the guy is going to return well. It gives you huge advantages.”

Rublev will now take on 2021 Miami champion Hubert Hurkacz in the fourth round. The World No. 11 beat American Steve Johnson 7-6(7), 6-3 earlier on Tuesday, and will be looking to reach the quarter-finals for the third time in three appearances in Indian Wells when he faces up against Rublev.

Rublev edged Hurkacz in a third-set tie-break in the Dubai semi-finals just a few weeks ago, and despite that fight he is looking forward to the challenge of facing the Pole again in the fourth round on Wednesday.

“I was thinking after the Dubai match, when am I going to see him again?” said Rublev. “But it’s tennis, it’s fun, we cannot control this, so we have to face each other tomorrow again and hopefully it’s going to be another good match.”

Hubert Hurkacz and Grigor Dimitrov faced tricky opponents on Tuesday evening at the BNP Paribas Open, but both advanced to the fourth round unscathed.

The 11th-seeded Hurkacz, who claimed his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title last year in Miami, defeated American Steve Johnson 7-6(7), 6-3. Hurkacz will next play seventh seed Andrey Rublev or 28th seed Frances Tiafoe.

The Indian Wells Tennis Garden has proven a happy venue for Hurkacz, who reached the quarter-finals here on his first two appearances in 2019 and 2021. A win in the fourth round will make it three consecutive trips to the quarter-finals for the Pole at the Masters 1000 event.

Although the 2021 Nitto ATP Finals competitor eliminated Johnson in straight sets, it was a tough test for the 25-year-old. Hurkacz’s coach is Craig Boynton, who previously worked with Johnson, so the players know each other well.

In the crucial moments in the first set, Johnson’s devastating forehand was not firing on all cylinders and Hurkacz was able to approach to the Californian’s backhand to get out of trouble. He saved two set points before closing out the first set and carried that momentum to a one-hour, 29-minute triumph.

Hurkacz hit 13 aces and saved all three break points he faced. The four-time ATP Tour titlist is now 9-2 at Indian Wells after ousting the home favourite.

Grigor Dimitrov made the long journey to Indian Wells seven times before last year’s first-time fall event. He never made the Round of 16 in those seven appearances. The eighth time was the charm, as Dimitrov advanced to the 2021 semi-finals before losing to eventual winner Cameron Norrie.

Could it be two big runs in six months in the California desert for the Bulgarian? Tuesday, the 33rd seed dismantled 31st seed Alexander Bublik 6-3, 6-4 in a clinical, 69-minute performance. Dimitrov won 41 of 51 service points and made just nine unforced errors to 13 winners. Their career series is now tied at 2-all.

Bublik is one of the most entertaining players on the ATP Tour. The Kazakhstani star pulled out all the tricks against the former World No. 3, but found no answers.

Dimitrov next meets 23rd seed John Isner, who was a 7-5, 6-3 winner over 14th seed Diego Schwartzman 7-5, 6-3.

Sixth seed Matteo Berrettini survived a mid-match dip to reach the fourth round at the BNP Paribas Open for the first time Tuesday, moving past Lloyd Harris 6-4, 7-5 in Indian Wells.

The Italian, who is making his fourth appearance in the California desert, showed his fighting spirit against Harris in a heavy-hitting display on Stadium 2.

Berrettini rallied from 2-5 in the second set and saved three set points, including one on the South African’s serve, before he raised his intensity and power to advance after one hour and 32 minutes.

“It means a lot [to reach the fourth round],” Berrettini said in his on-court interview. “I like the conditions but for some reason, I have never been able to play my best tennis here. I am happy with my performance, Lloyd is a tough opponent. It feels really nice to reach the fourth round for the first time. Every year I am improving.”

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The 25-year-old reeled off five straight games to seal his victory, improving to 2-0 against Harris in their ATP Head2Head series. Berrettini will next face Miomir Kecmanovic after the World No. 61 defeated Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp 7-6(3), 7-5.

“I got a little bit nervous,” Berrettini added. “I didn’t like how I handled the start of the second set. I let the anger out a little bit, which helped. I found the right balance in order to break him in the important moment and I then had the momentum.”

Berrettini has captured five tour-level titles, but has yet to crack the code at an ATP Masters 1000 event, with his best performance at this level coming in Madrid in 2021, when he enjoyed a run to the championship match.

The World No. 6, who advanced to the semi-finals at the Australian Open in January, edged #NextGenATP Dane Holger Rune in three sets in his first match in Indian Wells and is competing in his fifth tour-level tournament of the season.

In a tight first set, Berrettini looked to step inside the baseline and outmanouevre Harris with his brutal groundstrokes. The Italian showcased good footwork to control play on his forehand and gained the crucial break at 4-4, before he sealed the set with his seventh ace of the opener.

However, Harris responded in the second set, earning an early break in the fourth game as he hit with greater depth and consistency to cause Berrettini problems. But from 5-2 ahead, he failed to serve out the set, with Berrettini winning five games in a row to claim his win.

Harris was attempting to reach the fourth round at a Masters 1000 for the first time in his career. The 25-year-old also fell at the third-round stage in Indian Wells last season, losing to Norwegian Casper Ruud.

What are the secrets to Jenson Brooksby’s success?

The 21-year-old pulled off a huge upset at the BNP Paribas Open on Monday, recovering from a tough start to beat World No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 on Stadium 1 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

With the win, Brooksby is set to enter the Top 40 of the ATP Rankings for the first time, having been outside the Top 250 just a year ago. The American’s rapid rise has been all the more notable due to it not being spearheaded by any one specific aspect of his game.

“I think my superpower would be exploiting weaknesses in other people,” said Brooksby after the Tsitsipas win. “Also doing my best to have my own game have no flaws. [They are] the two things we shoot for in my game.”

Does the lack of a big weapon help Brooksby by allowing him to fly under the radar a little more? The American suspects so.

“I think I’m definitely underestimated,” said Brooksby. “Probably not by players, with the mentality [they] have.

“[But] I think definitely among fans, they just look for the flashy things like the technique, the athleticism, things like that. I don’t think anything [in my game] really stands out. I think that makes me underestimated [by] a lot of people.”

Opponents are wise not to be complacent against Brooksby, who has already reached two ATP Tour finals, but his playing style nonetheless makes him a difficult prospect to prepare a gameplan for. Tsitsipas suggested as much after his third-round defeat in Indian Wells.

“He’s not a very explosive player, but he’s able to get balls back,” said the Greek. “He’s not the most athletic player [either]. He’s just able to read the game well, play with his pace, play with the opponent’s pace. He’s able to read the game well and stay consistent.

“There’s nothing that he has that kills, I would say.”

Brooksby agrees with Tsitsipas’ assessment and believes keeping his strengths something of a mystery is working for him. “I think a lot of players and coaches maybe don’t see how I could be, as good of a level as I am,” said the American. “That’s what we shoot for in our games and strategy, to not be too easily figured out. That’s how the top players over history have been.

“I’m not too surprised to hear that [from Tsitsipas]. It’s what we shoot for.”

The next opponent tasked with solving the Brooksby puzzle in Indian Wells is defending champion Cameron Norrie, who battled past Nikoloz Basilashvili 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 in a repeat of the 2021 final. It will be the pair’s first meeting and Brooksby hopes his game can wreak havoc against the Brit just like it did so effectively against Tsitsipas.

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Norrie comes into the match in red-hot form, however, and seems to be especially comfortable playing in the United States, where he played college tennis for Texas Christian University. The World No. 12 has won 11 matches in a row on American soil, stretching back to his title run in Indian Wells in October.

With an ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final spot at stake Brooksby could be forgiven for feeling the pressure, but as he showed when pushing 20-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic to four sets at the 2021 US Open, he is ready to thrive in big matches.

“Stages such as [the US Open quarter-final against Djokovic] are really what show the work you put in, the self-belief and confidence you have in your own game,” said Brooksby.

“There’s no doubt I wasn’t intimidated but I believe, and I’ve shown I can beat anyone. I just have that focus every match and try to learn from everyone I’ve played against each time as well, whether I win or lose.”