christian buschardt

The world #2 is set to face off against Auger-Aliassime -- the winner in all three of their past head to head matchups -- in the quarter finals. Both have had impressive starts to the Indian Wells Masters, but only one can proceed. Let's delve into how they match up, what a victory here means for each athlete, and the determining factors that could push either one to the semis.

The last of the Indian Wells Masters quarter finals sees Felix Auger-Aliassime face off against tournament favorite Carlos Alcaraz. Though the latter has proven deserving of being the betting favorite, there are those that insist Auger-Alisassime can in fact push for the upset.

In head-to-head matchups, Auger-Alissime has bested the Spanish tennis sensation in every singles they’ve matched up in; once during the 2021 NY US Open (due to withdrawal), another in the 2022 Davis Cup, and the latest time at the Swiss Indoors 2022.

As far as their current form goes, there is not much understating the type of season that Alcaraz has had so far. Since January 16th, the teenage superstar has gone 11-1 and notched this year’s Argentina open under his belt - a good start to matching his sensational 2022 resumé. Auger-Alissime, however, will have to get busy soon if he wants to reach similar peaks to his red-hot 2022, having started the year 11-5.

If momentum should play a role in Friday’s match, Auger can rest easy off of his momentous comeback against Tommy Paul. The six consecutive match point comeback is a frontrunner for the comeback victory of the year we have had so far, but one would have to question anyone’s ability to do so if such a deficit was in favor of Alcaraz.

Bookmakers understandably have Alcaraz as the heavy favorite in this faceoff, though tennis media seem to indicate the match will be much closer than advertised. These two players are well-versed in each others’ skill sets, which almost guarantees a chess match to take place on the court. Though it may seem like Auger-Aliassime simply has Alcaraz’ number, so to speak, the determining factor will be whether or not the Spaniard has put the work in to make the requisite adjustments from their previous matches.