Daniil Medvedev overcame a day of rain delays to defeat Tommy Paul 6-4, 6-0 on Tuesday, securing his spot in the Indian Wells quarterfinals as he aims to improve on his runner-up finishes from the past two years.
Originally scheduled to play four hours earlier, Medvedev finally took the court around 10 p.m. and capitalized on Paul’s 31 unforced errors.
“It wasn’t an easy preparation,” Medvedev admitted. “We both arrived early, then it was just rain, rain, rain. I think we both came in rusty—maybe him a little more than me.”
Paul fought back after Medvedev’s 4-0 lead, winning four straight games, but the Russian regained control, reeling off the next eight to seal the match. He claimed the first set after two Paul forehand errors and dominated the second, breaking the American’s serve to close it out.
“Pretty strange scoreline,” Medvedev remarked. “Whoever won games seemed to win them in a row.”
Next up, Medvedev faces France’s Arthur Fils, who defeated American Marcos Giron 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 in a match that endured a three-hour rain delay.
Meanwhile, defending women’s champion Iga Świątek shrugged off a near-hour-long delay to cruise past Karolína Muchová 6-1, 6-1, avoiding the worst of the weather.
The world No. 2 from Poland needed just 57 minutes to dispatch Muchová, who had pushed her to three sets in the 2023 French Open final. Świątek, a two-time Indian Wells champion (2022, 2024), didn’t face a single break point as she continued her bid to become the first woman to win three titles in the California desert.
With rain looming again, she was eager to finish quickly.
“In the last two games, it was already a bit slippery, but I really wanted to close it out,” Świątek said. “I played more aggressively, but luckily the shots still landed in.”
She will face China’s Zheng Qinwen in the semifinals after Zheng eased past Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk 6-3, 6-2.
Stop-and-Start Battles
Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina, ranked 23rd, shook off a three-hour delay at the start of the deciding set to upset world No. 4 Jessica Pegula 5-7, 6-1, 6-2.
“Definitely not easy with all the delays,” Svitolina said. “I must have warmed up at least 10 times today.”
Her next challenge is 17-year-old Russian sensation Mirra Andreeva, who stunned 2023 Indian Wells champion Elena Rybakina 6-1, 6-2. Andreeva, the youngest-ever WTA 1000 champion, has now beaten world No. 7 Rybakina twice in three weeks, including in the Dubai semifinals.
In men’s action, Denmark’s Holger Rune ousted in-form Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-4.
Tsitsipas, fresh off a title win in Dubai last month, had been riding a seven-match ATP winning streak. But Rune, ranked 13th, snapped that run with 22 winners and a confident, aggressive performance.
A highlight of the match came in the second set when, up 4-3, Rune saved a break point with a stunning between-the-legs shot, racing back to return a Tsitsipas lob and perfectly placing a tweener to deny the Greek.
“Mentally, I was very strong,” Rune said. “That made the difference—I stayed composed.”
Rune will now face 43rd-ranked Tallon Griekspoor, who upset top seed Alexander Zverev in the second round. Griekspoor also battled delays before dispatching Japanese qualifier Yosuke Watanuki 7-6 (7/4), 6-1.
