“It’s always fun to play here” – American star Tommy Paul seems to be enjoying his time in Indian Wells. The 27-year-old recently secured his spot in the R16 of the 2025 BNP Paribas Open and will now face the two-time finalist (2023, 2024) Daniil Medvedev in the next match. Last year, the American had the chance to secure a spot in the final of this tournament for the very first time in his career, but he went down to Medvedev in the Round of 4. Can he avenge that loss and come up with an impressive performance against the former World number one?

Daniil Medvedev vs Tommy Paul: Preview

Daniil Medvedev‘s best performance this season came at the Open 13, where he reached the semifinals. Although he also had a decent outing in the Middle East swing, the Russian failed to clinch titles there! Can he have his magical moment in the Tennis Paradise? Time will tell! He will be entering this contest following Alex Michelsen’s forced withdrawal within just 10 minutes of their R32 meeting due to illness.

On the other hand, Tommy Paul will be come into this match following his impressive 6-3,7-5 win over Cameron Norrie (GBR) in the previous round. The American has been in red-hot form this year, reaching the SFs in Adelaide and Dallas. It’ll be interesting to see how far he goes in this tournament.

Medvedev vs Paul: Head-to-Head

Daniil Medvedev and Tommy Paul have faced each other four times in their career so far. Currently, the Russian leads the H2H record against Paul by 3-1. Although Medvedev secured a victory in their previous encounter at the Indian Wells, he showered praises on Tommy Paul for his incredible performance in that match.

“Tommy just showed everyone how to beat me, how to play on the lines, full power. He was playing pretty unbelievably, and I didn’t know what to do, so the only thing I could do is try to continue to search for solutions,” Medvedev said. Can Paul, yet again, throw a similar challenge to Medvedev?

• 2024 ATP Masters 1000 Rome R16: Paul 6-1,6-4.
• 2024 ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells SF: Medvedev 1-6,7-6(3),6-2.
• 2023 Beijing R32: Medvedev 6-2,6-1.
• 2021 Roland Garros R64: Medvedev 3-6,6-1,6-4,6-3.

Prediction: Medvedev to win this epic battle in three sets

Although Tommy Paul is in better form at the moment, Daniil Medvedev’s record in the BNP Paribas Open is quite extraordinary. After missing out on the chances of clinching the titles by a close margin in the previous two editions, he’ll be desperate to make it count this time. However, the support of the home crowd could probably lift up Paul’s spirit at crucial junctures of this epic contest.

Currently, Medvedev has a win-loss record of 10-6 this season, while for Paul (11), it’s 12-5. Taking the recent form into consideration, this match will be a close one and might drag to three sets. And we know the longer the match goes, the stronger Medvedev gets.

Talking about their playing styles, Paul possesses a strong attacking forehand and solid footwork along the baseline. He is extremely good at the net and also has a strong volley in his armory. Other than that, the American also generates topspin and has a powerful serves to go with it.

Daniil Medvedev is more like a counterpuncher with a powerful first serve in his bags, He loves hitting long, flat groundstrokes and often tends to wear down his opponents with length baseline rallies. His biggest strength is his ability to play consistently.

The former World number one also has one of the best backhands on the Tour. However, his forehands are on the weaker side. As far as his service is concerned, well, the world number 6 has already hit 118 aces this season. Considering all these factors, Daniil Medvedev seems to have the upper hand. The Russian should win in three sets and advance.