This article is part of our Tennis Picks series.
Second-round play continues Saturday from the hard courts of Indian Wells. This will be our first look of the tournament at the seeded players taking the court today, as they got byes directly into the second round. An American star in the women's draw is on upset alert, while another American woman is part of one of the tournament's most highly anticipated second-round matches, and an accomplished veteran on the men's side could provide strong value if healthy.
All Tennis Odds & Lines are taken from DraftKings Sportsbook, but you can sometimes find more favorable odds on some of these matches by checking mobile sportsbooks such as FanDuel Sportsbook, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, or any of the other best sports betting sites. We offer exclusive sign-up bonuses for some of those sportsbooks in states where sports betting has gone live.
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
Anastasia Potapova (+215) vs. Madison Keys
This will be Keys' first match since she won the Australian Open, as the 30-year-old American has been sidelined by a hamstring injury. Her low-margin game revolves around taking frequent risks and aiming for the lines, so Keys tends to struggle when she doesn't have her A-game, which is likely to be the case after an extensive layoff. While Keys has the far superior serve, Potapova can hang with her from the baseline, and the 23-year-old Russian has played well here before, making the quarterfinals at Indian Wells last year. Keys has been past the third round only twice in 11 appearances at this tournament.
Jaqueline Cristian (+270) vs. Leylah Fernandez
Cristian has already pulled off one upset here, taking out Veronika Kudermetova 6-2, 6-3 in the first round. The Romanian is into the second round in a fifth consecutive WTA 1000 event, and her third-round exit at this year's Australian Open equals Fernandez's best hard-court Grand Slam result outside of a 2021 U.S. Open final that's starting to look more and more fluky for Fernandez. The No. 27 seed lacks the power to push opponents around, so Fernandez will have to try to out-maneuver Cristian. While Cristian's confidence is high coming off her strong first-round performance, Fernandez is trying to find her game after winning just seven games across her last two matches heading into this one.
Honorable Mention
Viktoriya Tomova (+185) vs. Maria Sakkari
Indian Wells Tennis Odds: Lock It In
Brandon Nakashima (-400) vs. Rinky Hijikata
Nakashima's currently carrying a career-high ranking of No. 33, and the San Diego native will have plenty of crowd support a 2.5-hour drive away in Indian Wells. His serve isn't overwhelming, but Nakashima's statistically among the most effective players on tour when it comes to holding, while the 5-foot-10 Hijikata will have to battle for his service games. The 83rd-ranked Aussie is just 4-6 in 2025, and while Hijikata defeated Nakashima in a third-set tiebreak on Rinky's home turf in Adelaide, Nakashima still leads their- head-to-head 2-1 and has an excellent opportunity to avenge that loss in this stateside rematch.
Elise Mertens (-300) vs. Kimberly Birrell
Mertens has played well in the early stages of 2025, winning a hard-court title in Singapore as part of a 13-4 start. The 28th-seeded Belgian almost always wins the matches she's supposed to, with only one first-round loss at a Grand Slam since the start of 2018. Birrell got through qualifying here and has some matches under her belt, but the Aussie plays predominantly ITF and 250-level WTA events, so a top-30 opponent marks a substantial step up in level of competition.
Honorable Mention
Andrey Rublev (-250) vs. Matteo Arnaldi
Indian Wells Tennis Predictions: Value Bets
Amanda Anisimova (+135) vs. Belinda Bencic
These are two of the cleanest ball-strikers on the WTA Tour but both struggle to regain the upper hand in rallies when they get on the back foot, so this match will come down to which player can hold their spot on or inside the baseline more effectively. Anisimova showed her immense ceiling by winning a hard-court WTA 1000 title in Doha last month, while Bencic has enjoyed a strong return to the WTA Tour after becoming a mother, including a WTA 500 hard-court title in Abu Dhabi. Anisimova leads their head-to-head 2-1, including 1-0 on hard courts, though they last played in May of 2022. Given the tale of the tape, the 17th-seeded American should be a slight favorite here rather than a slight underdog.
Grigor Dimitrov (+105) vs. Nuno Borges
Dimitrov has battled a hip injury for the last few months, retiring from three matches already in 2025, but he's the far superior hard-court player if he can play this match from start to finish. The 33-year-old Bulgarian has a .618 career hard-court win rate and seven titles on the surface, as well as two hard-court Grand Slam semifinal results. Borges is more comfortable on clay, with a .485 career hard-court win rate, including a 4-7 record in Masters 1000 main-draw matches on this surface.
Honorable Mention
Donna Vekic (+110) vs. Elina Avanesyan
