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Match details
Fixture: (1) Carlos Alcaraz vs (Q) Thanasi Kokkinakis
Date: March 11, 2023
Tournament: BNP Paribas Open
Round: Second round (Round of 64)
Venue: Indian Wells, California, USA
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $8,800,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Carlos Alcaraz vs Thanasi Kokkinakis preview
Top seed Carlos Alcaraz will take on qualifier Thanasi Kokkinakis in the second round of the 2023 BNP Paribas Open on Saturday.
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An injury forced Alcaraz to skip the season's first Grand Slam, the Australian Open. He returned to action at the Argentina Open and went on to claim the title with a win over Cameron Norrie in the final.
The teenager competed in the Rio Open the following week, where he was the defending champion. Alcaraz made it to the final once again and faced Norrie for the title for the second week in a row.
However, he lost in three sets and picked up yet another injury, which compelled him to withdraw from the Mexican Open.
Alcaraz made it to the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open last year, going down to Rafael Nadal in an exciting three-set battle. He'll be aiming to go all the way this time around, which could help him reclaim the World No. 1 ranking as well.
Kokkinakis, meanwhile, defeated Yuichi Sugita and Matteo Arnaldi to qualify for the main draw of the Indian Wells Masters. He faced American Brandon Holt in the first round.
An early break of serve helped the Australian secure a 3-1 lead. Kokkinakis later held a couple of set points on Holt's serve at 5-4, but the American dug deep to get himself out of trouble. Nevertheless, the Aussie managed to serve out the set himself in the following game.
The second set was more one-sided, with Kokkinakis dropping just one game to win the match 6-4, 6-1. He has made it to the second round here for just the second time in his career.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Thanasi Kokkinakis head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between them, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Thanasi Kokkinakis odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Carlos Alcaraz vs Thanasi Kokkinakis prediction
Kokkinakis played one of his best matches in a while to oust Holt in the first round. He lost just two points on serve, fired nine aces and didn't face a single break point. He also blasted 26 winners while committing seven unforced errors.
Alcaraz, on the other hand, will be playing his first match after suffering yet another injury. It has been a stop-and-start season for him, with recurring injuries stopping him from building any sort of momentum. However, the teenager did make a winning comeback a few weeks ago from another injury.
Given the wide disparity in their rankings and achievements, Alcaraz will be the firm favorite to come through this clash. Kokkinakis can keep up with the Spaniard in baseline exchanges, but could potentially find it tough to land the perfect winning shot.
Alcaraz's brilliant court coverage and ability to switch from defense to offense in the blink of an eye gives him the upper hand. He might need some time to get used to the conditions first, but even a slow start is unlikely to stop him from winning eventually.
Pick: Carlos Alcaraz to win in three sets.
