Lucky loser Botic van de Zandschulp and Nick Kyrgios tussle at Thursday's BNP Paribas Open, with the Dutchman aiming to take out the returning former quarter-finalist in the opening round.
Kyrgios has not played at Indian Wells since losing to Rafael Nadal in 2022's quarter-final, and the seven-time ATP Tour champion, who ended practice early on Tuesday, seeks his first victory of 2025 since his comeback from a career-threatening wrist injury.
Match preview
© Imago
Van de Zandschulp enters Thursday's round-one match with Kyrgios aiming to end a losing run in the Californian desert, following three defeats on the trot.
Since claiming consecutive wins over Tennys Sandgren and Felix Auger-Aliassime at the 2022 event, the 29-year-old's third-round setback against Miomir Kecmanovic has been followed by round-one losses to Ilya Ivashka (2023) and Denis Shapovalov 12 months ago.
The world No. 85 hopes to snap that 0-3 run this week in the first ATP 1000 event of 2025, with success meaning he improves on his 2-4 main draw career record at the event.
Facing a player with minimal competitive experience since 2022 could present Van de Zandschulp with the perfect chance to win his first match in four in California.
While the Dutchman's 1-5 win-loss record this year may not fill supporters rooting for him with optimism, Van de Zandschlup has been competitive in three-set losses to Carlos Alcaraz and Lorenzo Sonego in Rotterdam and Marseille, respectively, while his second-round contest with Alex de Minaur in Doha lasted two hours.
Thus, he should back himself for a positive outcome against an undercooked opponent, whose last victory of any kind on the men's tour came in 2022.
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Kyrgios followed up a quarter-final run at the 2022 US Open with wins against Tseng Chun-hsin and Kamil Majchrzak in Tokyo before being forced to withdraw with a Taylor Fritz match-up imminent due to a knee complaint.
That began an extended time off for the seven-time champion, with ankle, knee and wrist issues preventing the 29-year-old from playing competitively for nearly three years — he returned briefly in Stuttgart two years ago but lost to Wu Yibing.
That changed at the start of 2025, although he has been defeated in both matches in singles, falling to serve-bot Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in three sets in Brisbane and losing in the opening round to Jacob Fearnley at the Aussie Open in straight sets.
Keen to record his first triumph of the season, Kyrgios beating his Dutch opponent will see him improve on his 7-4 record at Indian Wells, where he is a two-time quarter-finalist (2017, 2022).
However, the Aussie star seemed to suffer a wrist problem in practice on the eve of facing Van de Zandschlup, putting his participation in doubt and raising questions about his physical level if he does take to the court.
While the seven-time titlist returns to the desert for the first time in three years, looking to end a three-match losing run since that last success over Majchrzak in Tokyo three years ago, uncertainties about his fitness could undermine those prospects.
Head To Head
Both men face off for the first time, with the victor taking a 1-0 lead in their head-to-head.
Van de Zandschulp is 1-5 in main draw events in 2025, superior to Kyrgios's 0-2 win-loss record this season, highlighting the Australian's lack of competitive match action.
We say: Van de Zandschulp to win in two sets
It is hard to look beyond a Van de Zandschulp victory, especially considering Kyrgios's wrist issue flaring up in practice before his first-round contest with the Dutchman.
Thus, we back the world No. 85 to get the better of the Aussie in the battle of the 29-year-olds.
