The round of 64 at the 2024 BNP Paribas Open is complete, and Novak Djokovic has played his first match at the Tennis Gardens since 2019.
The top-seeded Serb had to shake off some rust en route to a 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 victory over Aleksandar Vukic. In round three, he’ll meet Luca Nardi.
Fellow veteran Gael Monfils recorded the upset of the round by taking out 8th seed Hubert Hurkacz to continue his journey back up the rankings after an extended period on the sidelines.
Daniil Medvedev also got his tournament off to a winning start, and all the other top seeds made steady progress, with Ruud, Fritz, Dimitrov, Humbert, Paul, Baez and Mannarino progressing in straight sets. 7th seed Holger Rune benefitted from a walkover as the perennially crippled Milos Raonic withdrew before their match.
You can see all the results for day four below.
Day Four 2024 BNP Paribas Open Round of 64 Results
| Winner | Loser | Scoreline |
|---|---|---|
| Daniil Medvedev (4) | Roberto Carballes Baena | 6-2 6-3 |
| Novak Djokovic (1) | Aleksandar Vukic | 6-2 5-7 6-3 |
| Holger Rune (7) | Milos Raonic (PR) | Walkover |
| Gael Monfils | Hubert Hurkacz (8) | 6-0 5-7 6-2 |
| Casper Ruud (9) | Lukas Klein (Q) | 6-4 7-6(4) |
| Taylor Fritz (12) | Alejandro Tabilo | 7-6(2) 6-2 |
| Grigor Dimitrov (13) | Alexandre Muller (Q) | 7-5 6-2 |
| Ugo Humbert (14) | Patrick Kypson (WC) | 6-4 6-4 |
| Tommy Paul (17) | Alex Michelsen | 6-2 6-2 |
| Sebastian Baez (19) | Fabio Fognini (WC) | 7-5 6-3 |
| Adrian Mannarino (21) | Tomas Machac | 6-1 6-2 |
| Arthur Fils | Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (23) | 6-3 6-4 |
| Lorenzo Musetti (26) | Denis Shapovalov (PR) | 6-4 2-6 7-5 |
| Cameron Norrie (28) | Lorenzo Sonego | 6-4 6-4 |
| Sebastian Korda (29) | Roman Safiullin | 6-4 6-2 |
| Luca Nardi | Zhizhen Zhang | 6-3 3-6 6-3 |
Djokovic Makes Indian Wells Comeback
While five years isn’t quite as long an absence as the Williams Sisters managed in Indian Wells, it’s more than long enough, and it was good to see Djokovic back in action on Stadium 1 Court for the first time since 2019.
It was the first match Djokovic had played since his Australian Open loss to Sinner, and he was playing against a guy who announced pre-match that he was “interested to see what all the fuss was about” in the pair’s first meeting.
That carefree attitude was reflected on the court for Vukic as his free-flowing, aggressive style caused Djokovic many problems from the baseline throughout the match.
In fact, Djokovic’s reliable serve proved the difference-maker and allowed him enough breathing room to carve out some trademark returning to progress 6-2 5-7 6-3.
He played amazing and deserved great credit and applause. The crowd really appreciated his tennis and the quality was really high. He played some ripping forehands and crushing serves. It was difficult to go through him. He was going for it and it was going in. I kind of managed to crack the code in the third set, and once I broke his serve, I felt I stepped it up a bit and finished off the match in style. Djokovic on his tricky win over Vukic.
Medvedev Moves Into the Round of 32
Daniil Medvedev is looking to complete the sextet of hard-court Masters 1000 titles this week, and he got off to a winning start with a 6-2 6-3 win over Roberto Carballes Baena.
It was a well-measured performance from the Russian, who I was unsure if he’d like the balls/conditions this week. He was superior from the baseline and overcame a second set blip and a short delay due to a flickering light to move through 6-2 6-3 in 1 hour and 28 minutes.
It was not an easy match. The rallies are slow here so 1:30 for 6-2, 6-3 is pretty long. But I know how to play well in these long rallies. I think I had the match under control. He managed to play one very good game at 4-2, but I was like, ‘Okay, I just have to continue’, and I managed to find a way. Medvedev on his winning start.
Monfils Hands Hurkacz Early Loss
Gael Monfils’s comeback appears to be picking up some steam. He took out the big serving Hubert Hurkacz 6-0, 6-7(5), 6-2 to set up a tie with 2021 Indian Wells Champion Cameron Norrie.
It wouldn’t be a Monfils match if he didn’t drop at least one set, even after bagelling Hurkacz in the opener, but he was, for once, the player who wasn’t physically ailing in the third as the Pole struggled.
It also wouldn’t be a Monfils match without some crazy points, so the highlights are worth checking out below.
I felt like I had a very strong start. I served very good. Physically I was very present. I was quite tough to put out of the court and off balance. I felt the first set gave me great momentum. He fought back and then in the end third set it was a really early break which helped me get through. Monfils on his win over Hurkacz.
Other Matches of Note
- Norrie Sinks Sonego: This was an impressive win for the Brit, who’s not been in great form. He took out Sonego 6-4 6-4. The former champion will probably like the slow conditions here, as he’s one of the fittest guys on tour.
- Fritz Foils Tabilo: The 2022 Champion’s win against the in-form Tabilo was 7-6(2) 6-2, and Fritz can be dangerous if he hits the serve well and flattens out the follow-up forehand.
- Dimitrov Moves Past Muller: The Bulgarian won 7-5, 6-2, continuing his rich vein of form over the last ~6 months.
Indian Wells Day 5 Round of 32 Matches
- Thiago Seyboth Wild (Q) vs Fabian Marozsan
- Frances Tiafoe (17) vs Stefanos Tsitsipas (11)
- Alexander Bublik (20) vs Alex de Minaur (10)
- Felix Auger-Aliassime (31) vs Carlos Alcaraz (2)
- Jan-Lennard Struff (25) vs Jannik Sinner (3)
- Andrey Rublev (5) vs Jiri Lehecka (32)
- Alexander Zverev (6) vs Tallon Griekspoor (28)
- Ben Shelton (16) vs Francisco Cerundolo (22)
Who has impressed you so far in Indian Wells? Do you think conditions look slow?
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