Andy Murray has a blockbuster first-round matchup on his hands in Indian Wells, as he will face fellow veteran David Goffin on Wednesday. Jordan Thompson and Jerry Shang will also help kick off main-draw competition in the desert.
Andy Murray vs. (Q) David Goffin
Murray and Goffin will be going head-to-head for the eighth time in their careers when they clash in round one of the BNP Paribas Open on Wednesday afternoon. All seven of their previous encounters have gone the way of Murray, who is an incredible 15-0 lifetime in total sets in this matchup.
The good news for Goffin is that they have squared off only once in the last five years and that resulted in a retirement by the Belgian at the 2022 Sydney tournament. They have not completed a match against each other since the fall of 2018. Now, of course, a much different version of both players is on display. Murray, 36, is ranked 61st and comes in with a 2-6 record for the season; Goffin, 33, is struggling down at No. 112 in the world. Whereas Murray is lacking confidence and recently announced that he doesn’t plan to play past this summer, Goffin has successfully qualified for four ATP tournaments in four tries already this season–including in Indian Wells. With two wins already under his belt, the time is now for Goffin to finally get over the hump against Murray.
Pick: Goffin in 3
(Q) Jerry Shang vs. Jordan Thompson
Thompson is playing the best tennis of his career in the early stages of 2024. The 29-year-old Australian has already won 13 main-tour matches this season, including a victory over Rafael Nadal in the Brisbane quarterfinals and a title two weeks ago in Los Cabos. He also advanced to quarterfinals in Dallas and Delray Beach.
Unfortunately for Thompson, he missed out on an Indian Wells seed by just one ranking spot and he is paying the price with a difficult first-round matchup on Wednesday. Like Goffin, Shang is one of the most dangerous qualifiers in the draw. The 19-year-old from China is one of the hottest prospects on tour and his 2024 campaign already includes a semifinal showing in Hong Kong and a third-round performance at the Australian Open. Shang is 1-1 lifetime against Thompson, having split a pair of 2022 Challenger meetings; the youngster won 7-5, 6-4 in Granby before the veteran prevailed 7-6(4), 6-7(10), 6-2 in Cary. This could be the best match of the entire opening round, but a slight edge goes to Thompson given his amazing form on this North American swing.
Pick: Thompson in 3
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