Damien Kayat previews Miomir Kecmanovic vs Stan Wawrinka and Dan Evans (24) vs Jack Draper in the Selected Round of 64 Matches of the Indian Wells Masters, on 11 March 2023
2023 WTA Tour
WTA 1000
Indian Wells Masters
Indian Wells Tennis Gardens, Indian Wells, California (Outdoor Hardcourt)
Selected Round of 64 Matches – 11th March
Miomir Kecmanovic 15/20 | Stan Wawrinka 1/1
It’s been a bit of a strange year for Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic. He has a win-loss record of 6-6 for the year (boring enough). But take a closer look. The Serb has competed in four events since losing in the quarterfinal stage of the Adelaide II event.
He has lost in the first-round of three of those four events. In the other he managed to reach his first ATP Final since 2020, narrowly losing to Taylor Fritz in the Delray Beach Open. He is fresh off an early defeat to Shapovalov in Mexico and will be keen to find some more consistency in his play.
This year has almost been the inverse of his career thus far. The 23-year-old baseliner has generally been ultra-consistent, perhaps lacking enough quality to beat the top echelon players regularly.
But this year has been sink-or-swim for the Serb. The usually flat hitter may have to mix his game up in these slightly choppy conditions.
Turning 38 later this month, I think it’s fair to say that Stan Wawrinka’s best days are probably behind him. It’s not as if ‘Stan the Man’ has anything to prove.
He managed to consistently break the hegemony of the ‘Big Three’, winning three Grand Slam titles in an era where only a handful of players shared the glory. But it has been two left foot and two left knee surgeries since Wawrinka reached the Roland Garros and Indian Wells finals in 2017.
And he has really battled to find any consistency over the past two years. But he does come into this year’s Indian Wells with a bit of form under his belt. He reached back-to-back quarterfinals in Rotterdam and Marseille and will have some momentum behind him.
Granted, he hasn’t competed here since 2019. But the Swiss single-backhanded wonder just came through a roller coaster first-round match against Aussie qualifier Aleksandar Vukic. He should thrive in conditions that will play similar to Roland Garros.
Verdict: Kecmanovic to win in three at 31/10
This will be the first career meeting between these two. This could prove to be a fascinating clash. Wawrinka is vastly experienced and has the variety in his game to thrive in these conditions. Kecmanovic usually relies on his brutal baseline play to wear his opponents down. That could prove quite hard this week. Still, I fancy the younger man to wear down Wawrinka in a war of attrition.
Dan Evans 17/10 | Jack Draper 46/100
This promises to be a blockbuster All-England Round of 64 clash. With just one title in his career, I think it’s fair to say that 32-year-old Dan Evans has been something of an underachiever.
Often termed the ‘bad boy of British tennis’, Evans has never been able to marry his talent and his temperament. But he has actually developed into a pretty solid performer over the last few years.
The defensive baseliner won his first singles title and reached his first Masters 1000 semi-final in 2021. He then made it two Masters 1000 semi-finals with an excellent run in Canada towards the end of last year. All that being said, Evans is in the middle of a pretty torrid run of form.
He won one of three outings at the United Cup. He was then knocked out of the first-round of the Adelaide II. He fortunately was able to squeeze into the 3rd round of the Aussie Open. But he enters this year’s event on a three-match losing streak.
21-year-old Jack Draper has been touted as the future of British tennis. The gangly Brit has been compared favorably to a young Andy Murray, with power off both wings and deceptively good movement for someone his size.
He really emerged into the mainstream last year with a couple of notable performances. He reached his first ATP semi-final at Eastbourne. He then reached his maiden Masters 1000 quarterfinal at the Canadian Open.
And he seems to have brought that form directly into this year. He reached the semi-finals of Adelaide II, losing to eventual champion Soonwoo Kwon. He then played well in a four-set defeat to Rafa Nadal at the Aussie Open.
He actually went into his opening match against Leandro Riedi having not played singles since Melbourne. But he showed little ring-rust, absolutely thrashing the Swiss 6-1, 6-1. A true NextGen prospect, Draper has got to be respected this week.
Verdict: Draper to win in straight sets at 7/2
This will be the first career meeting in this David and Goliath match. Draper will obviously look to be the aggressor, using a formidable serve and his power to press Evans into submission. But Evans has proven himself to be a nuggety opponent who can frustrate more powerful players with his feats of durability.
But I just think his three-match losing streak is a huge concern. Add to that the fact that Draper just wiped the court with Leandro Riedi, and I anticipate a pretty comfortable Draper win.
