Indian Wells 2025 Day 4: Men's singles predictions ft. Carlos Alcaraz vs Quentin Halys | BNP Paribas Open

Day 4 (Saturday, March 8) of the BNP Paribas Open 2025 at Indian Wells will bring an end to the second round. The third day of the tournament witnessed a few big upsets, with top seed Alexander Zverev and fourth seed Casper Ruud being among the high-profile names to be sent packing.

Zverev fought for over three hours against Tallon Griekspoor and came up short in the end as the latter beat him 4-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4). Marcos Giron was responsible for Ruud's exit as he handed him a 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-2 loss. Former Indian Wells champion Cameron Norrie knocked out 23rd seed Jiri Lehecka with a three-set win as well.

Holger Rune, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Tommy Paul brought a sense of normalcy as the trio scored comfortable wins to book their spots in the third round. As more players aim to join them in the third round, here's a look at the predictions for a few second-round matches set for Day 4 of the BNP Paribas Open:

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#1. Carlos Alcaraz vs Quentin Halys

Carlos Alcaraz at the BNP Paribas Open 2025. (Photo: Getty)

Alcaraz has an 11-2 record this year, with a title in Rotterdam along with quarterfinal appearances at the Australian Open and the Qatar Open. He's also the two-time defending champion at Indian Wells, and received a bye into the second round.

Following a second-round exit from the Australian Open, Halys lost in the first round of his next three tournaments. He snapped his losing streak with a semifinal finish in Dubai. He was up against former top 10 player Pablo Carreno Busta in the first round of the BNP Paribas Open, and beat him 6-3, 6-4.

Halys improved his record for the year to 5-5 with the win. He recently scored his first win over a top 10 player when he beat World No. 9 Andrey Rublev in the first round in Dubai. He had lost his previous 10 matches against them. However, he will be a massive underdog against the Spaniard in the next round here.

Alcaraz has a 16-2 record at Indian Wells. Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal are the only two players to beat him here. It's safe to say that Halys is nowhere near their level, and as such the defending champion should be able to begin his title defense with a win.

Predicted winner: Carlos Alcaraz

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#2. Hubert Hurkacz vs Hugo Gaston

Hubert Hurkacz is the 21st seed at Indian Wells 2025. (Photo: Getty)

Hurkacz started his season by representing Poland at the United Cup. They lost to the USA in the final, and he won only two of his five singles matches. He was upset by Miomir Kecmanovic in the second round of the Australian Open, and then lost to Alcaraz in the Rotterdam semifinals.

Hurkacz advanced to the second round here courtesy of a bye, while Gaston came through the qualifying rounds, and defeated Luciano Darderi 6-3, 6-3 in the first round. He broke his four-match losing skid with the win, and improved his record this year to 2-4.

Gaston has advanced beyond the first round at Indian Wells for the first time in his career. Hurkacz, meanwhile, has reached the quarterfinals here twice in the past, though he has suffered early exits the last two years. However, he has performed better than the Frenchman this season and at the venue as well. Based on that, he will be the favorite to win this match.

Predicted winner: Hubert Hurkacz

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#3. Alex de Minaur vs David Goffin

Alex de Minaur is the ninth seed at Indian Wells 2025. (Photo: Getty)

While the Australian team was eliminated in the group stage of the United Cup, de Minaur still won both of his singles ties. He advanced to the quarterfinals of his home Slam, and went down to defending champion Jannik Sinner in straight sets.

De Minaur reached the final in Rotterdam for the second year in a row, and lost to Alcaraz this time. His Qatar Open run came to an end in the quarterfinals against eventual champion Rublev. He suffered his earliest exit of the season in Dubai, where he lost to Marin Cilic in the first round.

Goffin started the year with five consecutive first-round exits. He overcame his dismal start to the season with a quarterfinal appearance in Acapulco last week, where he beat Rinky Hijikata and Ben Shelton before losing to Brandon Nakashima. He started his Indian Wells campaign with a 6-4, 7-5 win over Lorenzo Sonego. It marked his first win at the venue since 2017.

De Minaur's 13-4 record this season makes him the favorite to win over Goffin, who has a 3-6 record this year. He also leads his older rival 6-0 in the head-to-head. The Belgian has also performed quite poorly in the California desert for the past few years, further diminishing his odds of a victory.

Predicted winner: Alex de Minaur