World No. 2 Jannik Sinner opens up his Indian Wells campaign on Friday. Fellow Italian and newly crowned Acapulco champion Flavio Cobolli aims to win a match in this event for the first time. As always, we at LWOT have the previews and predictions for all matches on the ATP Indian Wells slate. But who will progress to the third round?

ATP Indian Wells Day 3 Predictions
Jakub Mensik vs Marcos Giron

Head-to-head: Mensik 1-0 Giron

Mensik was ousted in the second round in each of his last two appearances at the desert, but he will be one of the contenders to make a deep run this time. The Czech arrives in Indian Wells with a 13-4 win-loss record, including one of the biggest wins of his career over Jannik Sinner in Doha. Giron survived a first-round barnburner in over two hours against Argentina’s clay-court specialist Mariano Navone. Giron loves to grind and scrap for points. And against Mensik’s heavy serve and potent forehand, it’s a risky game plan.

Prediction: Mensik in 2

Brandon Nakashima vs Camilo Ugo Carabelli

Head-to-head: Nakashima 1-0 Ugo Carabelli

Nakashima is in a steadier form coming to Indian Wells, with a runner-up in Brisbane and a semifinal finish in Acapulco among his highlights for the season so far. Up until last year, he had not progressed beyond the second round in Indian Wells. He’s got a good chance to build on last year’s round of 16 finish. Ugo Carabelli is more at home on clay, and despite ending his winless streak on hard courts with a first-round win over Martin Damm, he’s unlikely to trouble Nakashima. The American’s weight of shot and a much-improved serve should carry him to victory.

Prediction: Nakashima in 2

Flavio Cobolli vs Miomir Kecmanovic

Head-to-head: Cobolli 1-1 Kecmanovic

Cobolli’s season has been a tale of two stretches. He lost four of his opening five matches. But he turned the tide in Delray (semifinals) before capturing the Acapulco title this past week. Kecmanovic lost his status as a Top 50 player after he surrendered the Delray title at the second hurdle. The Serbian instantly bounced back to make the last four in Acapulco, where he was the only player to take a set from Cobolli. The Italian’s recent uptick gives him a strong chance of securing his first match win in the tournament, but a potential dip in energy could follow his title triumph.

Prediction: Kecmanovic in 3

Jannik Sinner vs Dalibor Svrcina

Head-to-head: first meeting

Two months into the season, and Jannik Sinner has not won a title. As strange as that sounds, Sinner has already stated he would make changes to his game and even risk losing matches to improve. That might explain his recent drought. That said, this should be a very straightforward opener for the World No. 2. Dalibor Svrcina has enjoyed a good run from qualifying and defeated James Duckworth on his main draw debut. Still, he lacks the effortless power to push Sinner off the court.

Prediction: Sinner in 2

Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey – Imagn Images