ATP Indian Wells: 3rd Round Predictions, Day 6

1. Jerzy Janowicz v Richard Gasquet

Richard Gasquet

The bottom half of the mens draw was blitzed on Saturday and this match-up between Jerzy Janowicz and Richard Gasquet is just one of two all seeded third rounders still remaining.  Janowicz enjoyed an impressive win over David Nalbandian in 3 sets, meanwhile Gasquet also overcame a potentially tough match-up against Bernard Tomic, 7-6(1) 6-2.  Not surprisingly, the pair have never met with Janowicz's sudden rise up the rankings following that run to the final in Paris last year.  Janowicz's year has been so-so up till now with the highlights being a third round showing in Melbourne and running Tomas Berdych close in Marseille.  Gasquet has beaten the players you would expect him too, claiming two titles in Doha and Montpellier, but still struggles against the big guys.  He might get the chance against another top tenner in the fourth round though to really ignite his year...

Prediction - Gasquet to beat Janowicz in 2 tight sets

2. Stanislas Wawrinka v Lleyton Hewitt

Gilles Simon

Lleyton Hewitt upstaged John Isner in the second round, 6-7(6) 6-3 6-4 and made sure that he would no longer be in the top 20 next week having made the final here last year.  Hewitt now takes on Stanislas Wawrinka who took some time to get going against Wayne Odesnik, but eventually downed the American with a 3-6 6-2 6-1 victory.  Wawrinka and Hewitt are level in their head-to-head at 1-1 and it was Wawrinka who won their last match-up in a classic five-set Davis Cup match.  Wawrinka deserves a break this year and a fourth round would be a respectable showing.  Federer would probably await in the next round so there are no expectations beyond the round of 16.

Prediction - Wawrinka to beat Hewitt in 2 sets

3. Gilles Simon v Benoit Paire

Gilles Simon is the only seed remaining in the bottom half of the third section, which was once led by David Ferrer.  Simon should really have joined the list of casualties but dug his way out of a 0-3 deficit in the first set and more impressively, from 1-5 down in the deciding set to come through against Paolo Lorenzi, 6-3 3-6 7-5.  Benoit Paire upset Philipp Kohlschreiber with a surprisingly routine 6-4 6-2 victory and should fancy his chances of going even further in the draw.  Paire beat Simon when they last met in the quarter-finals of Montpellier this year.  The crafty Paire had been on a poor run since that tournament, but things seem to be looking up for him in the desert and that quarter-final place left vacant by Ferrer is well and truly up for grabs.

Prediction - Paire to beat Simon in 3 sets

Best of the rest: 3rd round mens predictions

Tomas Berdych to beat Florian Mayer in 2 sets

Jarkko Nieminen to beat Kevin Anderson in 3 sets

Rafael Nadal to beat Leonardo Mayer in 2 sets

Ernests Gulbis to beat Andreas Seppi in 2 sets

Roger Federer to beat Ivan Dodig in 2 sets