Tennis
BNP Paribas Open Men’s QF: Ben Shelton Keeps Rewriting US History
Wendi Oliveros is a diehard tennis fan that is known to set her clock at ridiculous hours to watch live action especially during the Australian Open. She is known for indulging in strawberries and cream during Wimbledon and has watched the US Open live several times.
Get to know wendioliveros betterPublished13 Mar 2025
The BNP Paribas Open men’s quarterfinals are on Thursday. Many upsets have occurred in this tournament, but the most fascinating quarterfinal match features American Ben Shelton and Brit Jack Draper.
Shelton, 22, is the youngest American man in an ATP 1000 quarterfinal since Andy Roddick in 2004. His game has significantly improved over the last 18 months. His serve is no longer his only imposing and intimidating weapon.
He takes on Jack Draper, 23, who played the match of his life against Taylor Fritz. It was painfully close to tennis perfection. Adding to the mystique is the fact that Shelton and Draper have never played each other.
looking 👀 forward to 1st career matchup of 6’4 lefty’s, Mad man Draper vs Gimme Shelton both playing top 10 ball 🎾 atm @BNPPARIBASOPEN @SharkoTennis
— Brad Gilbert (@bgtennisnation) March 13, 2025
Can Draper dial up another perfect match to take out his second American in 24 hours?
Ben Shelton is vying to become just the third American man to win at Indian Wells in 25 years. Andre Agassi won in 2001, and Taylor Fritz won in 2022.
Shelton and Draper are the third match of the day. Here are the other quarterfinal matchups.
Tallon Griekspoor vs. Holger Rune
Tallon Griekspoor has not suffered a letdown since taking out the tournament’s top seed, Alexander Zverev in the Round of 64. In fact, he has not dropped a set in his past two rounds. Rune’s path to the quarterfinals has also been far from easy with wins over Ugo Humbert and Stefanos Tsitsipas. This is a difficult match to predict; Griekspoor owns the head-to-head (2-0) but Rune is healthy and playing very well.
Arthur Fils vs. Daniil Medvedev
Arthur Fils and Daniil Medvedev have only played each other once before. It was in 2023 at Vienna on indoor hardcourts that Medvedev won in straight sets. Fils has improved his game substantially since then so this is not a slam-dunk for Medvedev.
Carlos Alcaraz vs. Francisco Cerundolo
Francisco Cerundolos’ forehand is the lethal weapon that got him past Alex de Minaur and Botic van de Zandschulp. Carlos Alcaraz is the two-time defending champion who has lost 14 games in three matches. Alcaraz has yet to be tested at Indian Wells, but Cerundolo will likely be a big one. Can Alcaraz keep his positive mojo going at Tennis Paradise?
