Three to See—Indian Wells, Oct. 15: Fritz vs. Zverev, Azarenka vs. Ostapenko, Badosa vs. Jabeur

WATCH: Jabeur visits TC Desk after quarterfinal victory

Alexander Zverev vs. Taylor Fritz

Fritz has two good Next Gen wins under his belt in Indian Wells, against Matteo Berrettini and Jannik Sinner. Can he get a third? Zverev will be a step up in weight class. The German may be the MVP of the post-Wimbledon season; he’s lost just one match, to Novak Djokovic at the US Open, during that time. At Indian Wells, he has played three quality opponents—Jenson Brooksby, Andy Murray, and Gael Monfils—and has yet to look at all worried about the outcomes. And why would he, when he puts in 70 percent of his 130-m.p.h. first serves? Can Fritz put a dent in Zverev’s confidence? He’ll have the crowd, he’ll have his own serve, and he’ll be at full strength from the baseline, having recovered, it seems, from his spring knee surgery. He’ll also know that he has a win in four tries against Zverev, and that they played a tight four-setter at Wimbledon in July. But I’ll still take Zverev. Winner: Zverev

Victoria Azarenka vs. Jelena Ostapenko

Among the match-ups between modern Grand slam champs, this is one we haven’t had a chance to see often enough. Azarenka, two-time Australian Open champion, and Ostapenko, one-time Roland Garros champion, have met just once. That was on clay two years ago in Paris, and Azarenka emerged a winner in two close sets. Each woman has had her share of ups and downs and earlier-than-expected exits over the last couple of years—the 32-year-old Azarenka is ranked No. 32, and Ostapenko is No. 29. But each has had a resurgence this week. As with any match involving Ostapenko, the result will largely depend on whether she is landing her roundhouse ground-stroke punches, or whether she’s whiffing on them. Either way, Azarenka, who is a former Indian Wells winner and hasn’t dropped a set this week, should have enough pace and speed of her own to combat what Ostapenko throws at her. Winner: Azarenka

Ons Jabeur vs. Paula Badosa

The only main-draw meeting between Jabeur and Badosa came this spring in Miami. If that match, which Badosa won 7-5 in the third set, is any indication of what we’re going to get on Friday, it should be a good one. Or at least a long and close one. While Badosa got the better of things that day, Jabeur is the higher-ranked player—she just cracked the Top 10 for the first time. But the Tunisian and the Spaniard are both having career seasons, and setting themselves up, perhaps, to challenge for major titles next year. Badosa will bring her athleticism and strong ground strokes; Jabeur will try to disrupt them with her fearless drop shots and rocket service returns. Winner: Jabeur