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American number three and world number 19, Tommy Paul, looks for his fourth quarterfinal of the year as he takes on the inconsistent world number 10 Auger-Aliassime in the last 16 at Indian Wells. Paul already caused an upset in round 3 and he looks hungry for more. Here are our predictions for the match.
These odds from Ladbrokes were correct at the time of writing.
Tommy Paul vs Felx Auger-Aliassime – Match Predictions
Contents
Total Sets – 3
With both Paul (19) and Auger-Aliassime (10) top 20 players we expect nothing short of a close match that is very likely to go the distance. Paul already played a dramatic 3 setter in the previous round when eliminating the former Miami Masters champions and world number 11 Hurkacz.
Auger-Aliassime won both of his matches at Indian Wells so far in straight sets, but in both he played very long sets and was really not looking convincing in either. Added to that Paul’s dogged determination even when he trails and we think it is very likely that this first ever meeting between the two will go to a decider.
Paul to Win
Auger-Aliassime has stalled in his development over the last 18 months. At the same time, Paul is having excellent last 15 months and he looks hungry for more. Paul achieved 10 quarterfinals, or better, during 2022. He also already secured 3 deep runs in 2023, including an Australian Open semifinal. This is why we back Paul to win this match.
Auger-Aliassime had little joy in any of his last 4 Grand Slam appearances. He managed to get to 5 Masters quarterfinals in 2022, but his tennis had been in decline for over a year now. The Canadian has lost his confidence and against an opponent on the rise like Paul he will always be seen as an outsider despite his superior ranking.
Tommy Paul vs Felix Auger-Aliassime Preview
Both men have plenty of weapons to hurt each other. However, Paul is on the rise, while Auger-Aliassime has shown lack of consistency over a prolonged period of time. Let’s take a closer look at each player.
Tommy Paul
Paul established into the world top 40 in 2022 with deep runs in no less than 10 tournaments. His consistency impressed.
Paul seems to be going even stronger this year and he already entered the world top 20 after reaching his first ever Grand Slam semifinal in Melbourne. He also made it to the quarterfinals at Delray Beach and just before Indian Wells reached the final at Acapulco.
Paul had an easy win in round 2 when he started his Indian Wells quest. He then faced the world number 11 Hurkcaz and showed character to come from a set down and win 4-6, 6-2, 6-4. This was an upset as Hurkacz is built for play on hard surface and he always does well at the Masters. Paul was excellent though. He also showed nerves of steel.
Felix Auger-Aliassime
Auger-Aliassime struggles in California and both in 2021 and 2022 he exited Indian Wells after just 1 game. This is his first ever run all the way to round 4 in the tournament. For over a year now Auger-Aliassime has had problems to achieve much and he has won only 2 of his last 8 games against top 20 rivals.
The only reason he remains a top 10 player is that in 2022 he made 5 consecutive quarterfinals at Masters tournaments, but 3 of those were on clay. So far, his 2023 had been nothing more than average and the Canadian continues to show lack of consistency or progression in his play.
Tommy Paul vs Felix Auger-Aliassime Head to Head
This will be the first ever matchup between the two.
Tommy Paul vs Felix Auger-Aliassime Match Details
- When is the match going to be played? The match is scheduled for Wednesday, March 15th not before 02:30 UK time.
- Where I can watch it in the UK? Amazon Prime is the place to watch every Indian Wells match.
- What surface will the match be played on? The match is set to be played on an outdoor hard court.
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