This article is part of our Tennis Picks series.
Second-round play begins Friday from the hard courts of Indian Wells, in addition to the conclusion of the first-round matches that got pushed back by rain Thursday. All 32 seeds in both the men's and women's singles draws got byes into the second round, so Friday offers our first look at some of the tournament's top contenders. A pair of men who have made deep Grand Slam runs in recent years generally prefer surfaces other than hard courts but have enough all-around ability to take care of business in the early rounds here, while a top-10 seed on the women's side could be on the precipice of yet another early exit in 2025 against a multiple-time Indian Wells champion.
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All men's and women's singles matches at Indian Wells are best of three sets. A mix of players' previous hard court results, recent form and stylistic matchups can help pinpoint intriguing betting opportunities, both among favorites likely to cruise to victory and underdogs ready to pull off upsets. The aforementioned underdogs are highlighted in the Upset Alert section, the Lock It In section covers players who can safely be viewed as overwhelming favorites, while the Value Bets section recommends enticing options in matchups that are considered closer to toss-ups.
Indian Wells Tennis Picks: Upset Alert
Victoria Azarenka (+200) vs. Qinwen Zheng
Zheng has struggled to a 1-3 record to begin 2025, with the lone win coming against a player ranked outside the top 100. The 22-year-old may still be adjusting to the pressure of added expectations after a breakout 2024 campaign propelled her into the top 10. Azarenka has dropped out of the seeded range to No. 35 -- matching her age -- but the two-time Indian Wells champion (2012 and 2016) is still extremely dangerous on hard courts. If Zheng plays tentatively, Azarenka will gladly seize control of the match with her booming groundstrokes.
Thiago Seyboth Wild (+330) vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas
Tsitsipas is coming off a title in Dubai, but he'll need to string together a few strong tournaments before we can safely say he's back in form. He was just 3-4 in 2025 prior to Dubai and has lost his first match at five of his last 12 tournaments. Seyboth Wild is a talented shot-maker who has had some near-misses against big-name players on hard courts in recent years, such as pushing Andrey Rublev to a fifth-set tiebreak at the 2024 Australian Open. The Brazilian's also an emotional player, and Tsitsipas has a history of losing focus when on-court tensions ramp up, so it would benefit Seyboth Wild to raise the temperature in that department.
Honorable Mention
Lulu Sun (+650) vs. Linda Noskova
Indian Wells Tennis Odds: Lock It In
Alex Michelsen (-240) vs. Colton Smith
Michelsen is the clear favorite in this battle between young Americans. The 20-year-old Californian currently sports a career-best ranking of No. 32 and is ascending higher on the heels of a fourth-round result at the Australian Open. Meanwhile, the 22-year-old Smith hadn't played a main-draw match on the ATP Tour prior to his 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 first-round win over Flavio Cobolli. Smith is ranked No. 261 and fought his way through qualifying to get to this point, but he won't have the emotional fuel of the crowd's support against a fellow young American, especially one that's a local favorite.
Casper Ruud (-185) vs. Marcos Giron
Ruud's at his best on clay, but he's no slouch on hard courts, especially those that play on the slower side. The 2022 U.S. Open finalist was a quarterfinalist at Indian Wells last year and hasn't lost prior to the third round here in four main-draw appearances. The 48th-ranked Giron will have the crowd in his corner as a California native who played college tennis at UCLA, but the 31-year-old American lacks the weapons to make Ruud uncomfortable, so the No. 4 seed should control play with his outstanding forehand. Giron shocked Ruud in Tokyo in 2023, but that upset was sandwiched between two lopsided hard-court wins for the Norwegian, in which Ruud dropped just four games across four sets.
Honorable Mention
Ugo Humbert (-300) vs. Kei Nishikori
Indian Wells Tennis Predictions: Value Bets
Lorenzo Musetti (-105) vs. Roman Safiullin
Safiullin had a 0-5 ATP main-draw record in 2025 prior to his first-round win here over 114th-ranked Reilly Opelka in a match that had a unique rhythm due to the 6-foot-11 Opelka's reliance on his serve. Musetti will make Safiullin prove himself in a much more traditional matchup. The 16th-ranked Italian played at a top-10 level on clay and grass last season, and while Musetti's not quite as good on hard courts, he has a title on the surface and has reached the third round in each of the last two hard-court Grand Slams. Given that context, Musetti's a great value play against his slumping 69th-ranked opponent.
Elina Svitolina (-165) vs. Ashlyn Krueger
Svitolina rarely faulters in early stages of big tournaments, losing prior to the third round at a Grand Slam only once in 20 appearances dating back to the 2018 U.S. Open. While early losses have occurred more frequently for the 23rd-ranked Ukrainian at the WTA 1000 level, her high-floor game has carried Svitolina into the second week more often than not, and her quarterfinal result at this year's Australian Open suggests she still has some gas in the tank at age 30. Krueger has climbed to No. 41 in the rankings, and the 20-year-old American has a bright future, but she lacks the consistency of her veteran counterpart, notching multiple wins in only one of four tournaments dating back to the Australian Open.
Honorable Mention
Alexei Popyrin (-110) vs. Zizou Bergs
