2019 BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells: Roger Federer vs Kyle Edmund, Preview and Prediction

Five-time Indian Wells Masters Champion Roger Federer takes on the British number one, Kyle Edmund in a fourth-round clash at the 2019 BNP Paribas Open.

After a not-so-great start to the year, the top-ranked British player has been playing some scintillating tennis this month.

He lost in the first round of the Australian Open to Berdych in straight sets, but returned to form at the Oracle Challenger Series – Indian Wells and won the tournament as the top seed. He got the better of some really good players such as Andrey Rublev and Lukas Rosol in the tournament.

He has carried over that form to the BNP Paribas Open. He was dominant against Nicolas Jarry in the first match, allowing the Chilean to take only two games in the entire match. The extent of his dominance can be seen from the fact that he won almost double the number of points won by his opponent.

His service was exceptional. He won a whopping 80% of his first serve points, and the second serve win percentage was as high as 73%. He had another impressive win in the second round, against Radu Albot, where again he displayed ferocity on serve, winning 84% of his first serve points.

Kyle Edmund at BNP Paribas Open - Day 9

He will need to continue in that vein against the Swiss maestro in the next round. Federer too seems to be playing at a very high level. In Dubai, he won an incredible 100th ATP title, and he seems to be in good nick in Indian Wells as well. After a facile win over Peter Gojowczyk in his first match, he displayed controlled aggression against Stan Wawrinka in his second match.

He eschewed flashiness for consistency and ensured that he kept his unforced error count as low as possible, even if that meant he did not have as many outright winners. In the match, Stan had more winners, but was equally profligate when it came to committing unforced errors as well.

Like Edmund, Federer too has been serving extremely well in this tournament. Against Wawrinka, he won a whopping 82% of his first serve points and his second serve percentage too was at an impressive 75. He won seventeen points more than his fellow Swiss star in the match.

An in-form Kyle Edmund may pose a challenge to Federer, but it is difficult to see the Briton getting past the Swiss maestro.

Prediction: Roger Federer to win in 3 Sets.