Yosuke Watanuki made some kind of history Sunday evening on Stadium Court at the BNP Paribas Open.
A qualifier at Indian Wells, the tennis player from Japan beat American Frances Tiafoe, 6-4, 7-6(6) in a gripping match to become the lowest-ranked player (349) since Tommy Haas in 2004 to reach the Round of 16 in the California desert.
Haas, as fate would have it, is now the tournament director at Indian Wells and was on hand to watch the match, with the crowd cheering on the 26-year-old past 10 p.m. on a Sunday.
“It’s unbelievable,” Watanuki said. “I’m just so happy to play here.”
Watanuki will have a decent shot to go even a step further at this event. He now faces unseeded Tallon Griekspoor on Tuesday.
Watanuki seemed a bit overwhelmed by the moment and could not stop smiling while being interviewed on court following the win. He said the key to the win was to try to just enjoy the moment, which kept him loose.
“Indian Wells, center court,” he said. “I was happy. I tried to enjoy it.”
American Tommy Paul has moved into the third round at the BNP Paribas Open and if that sounds familiar, it’s because it is.
Paul, the No. 10 seed here and No. 11-ranked player in the world, has been in the main draw at Indian Wells five times now, and every time he’s won at least two matches. He’s made the fourth round twice and had his best performance last year when he reached the semifinals.
On Sunday Paul earned a straight-set win over 2021 BNP Paribas Open champion Cam Norrie 6-3, 7-5. The win came on Stadium 2, which has become Paul’s private playground over the last couple of years.
His next match will be an interesting one. He’ll play Daniil Medvedev, the No. 5 seed from Russia who advanced when rising American Alex Michelsen retired because of illness. That match will be Tuesday.
The American loves his hometown tournament so much that he doesn’t want to leave. After knocking off the No. 4 seed Casper Ruud, Marcos Giron won again Sunday to move into the Round of 16. It’s the first time in his career he has reached the fourth round at a Masters 1000 event.
Giron, who is 10-4 this year and has reached three quarterfinals, rallied to beat the No. 26-seeded Alexei Popyrin of Australia 5-7, 6-3, 6-3.
The Thousand Oaks, California, native is the oldest remaining player in the men’s field despite only being 31.
The old man will play for a quarterfinal trip on Tuesday against the winner of a match between Arthur Fils and Lorenzo Musetti.
While four of the top seven men’s players lost their opening match of this tournament, No. 8 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas may be flying under the radar.
Tsitsipas had his second consecutive straight-set win, rolling past Berrettini 6-3, 6-3 to move into the Round of 16. And he’s coming in hot, having won his most recent tournament in Dubai.
The talented Greek player has not had many deep runs in Indian Wells in the past. He made the quarterfinal in 2021 and the fourth round last year, but his other four trips to the desert have ended early. But it’s so far so good in 2025 as he appears to be playing some of his best tennis.
Next up is a date with No. 12 seed Holger Rune, who beat No. 18 Ugo Humbert.
Rune, the 12th seed at Indian Wells, is into the Round of 16 after a slow start Sunday. He lost the first set before rebounding to win, 5-7, 6-4, 7-5. He’ll face Tsitsipas on Tuesday.
Rune, 21, reached the quarterfinals at the BNP Paribas Open last year, which is his best finish at the event.
Griekspoor, aka the guy who beat the No. 1 seed Zverev, kept his 2025 BNP Paribas Open run alive with a straight-set win over the No. 29 seed from France 7-6(3), 6-3.
Next up for Griekspoor will be the winner of the Frances Tiafoe-Yosuke Watanuki late-night match Sunday.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Yosuke Watanuki nabs historic upset of Frances Tiafoe at Indian Wells
Tommy Paul def. Cam Norrie
Marcos Giron def. Alexei Popyrin
Stefanos Tsitsipas def. Matteo Berrettini
Holger Rune def. Ugo Humberto
Tallon Griekspoor def. Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard
Indian Wells Masters: Tiafoe books spot in third round
Frances Tiafoe won against Damir Dzumhur 7-6 (4), 7-6 (7) on Friday. He’ll play Japanese qualifier Yosuke Watanuki next
American Frances Tiafoe, the No 16 seed, defeated Bosnian qualifier Damir Dzumhur 7-6 (4), 7-6 (7) to advance to the third round of the Indian Wells Masters at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on Friday.
Tiafoe, ranked No 17, will face Japanese qualifier Yosuke Watanuki next.
Dzumhur, ranked No 84, edged out Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut (6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4)) in the previous round of the Indian Wells Tennis Masters.
Indian Wells Masters 1000, other second-round results (Indian Wells Tennis Garden, hard, USD 13.042.410, most recent results first):
Bosnia And Herzegovina
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Damir Dzumhur vs Frances Tiafoe Preview & Prediction | 2025 Indian Wells Open (BNP Paribas Open) | Second Round
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Frances Tiafoe has saved some of his best performances for the big tournaments in his homeland America and he will hope for another good run at Indian Wells as he opens up against Damir Dzumhur
Ranking points: ATP 1000
Start date/time: Saturday 8th March, 2025: UK – not before 3:10am / Friday 7th March, US ET – not before 10:10pm / US PT – not before 7:10pm
Venue: Indian Wells Tennis Garden, Indian Wells, USA
Surface: Outdoor hard
How to watch on TV: UK – Sky Sports Tennis / US – Tennis Channel
How to watch online: UK – Sky Go / US – Tennis Channel
Tickets: Visit this link for the latest Damir Dzumhur vs Frances Tiafoe ticket information
Damir Dzumhur vs Frances Tiafoe Prediction
Damir Dzumhur has already equalled his best-ever finish at Indian Wells by reaching the second round and he will be hoping to go one step further at least.
The Bosnian number one has come through two rounds of qualifying and then he followed that up by beating Roberto Bautista Agut in three sets on Wednesday.
He now takes on 16th-seed Frances Tiafoe in the second round and this is their first meeting on the ATP Tour.
Tiafoe reached the semis just two years ago and he will be eager to do well once again. It is fair to say that his 2025 has not really clicked into gear yet so he will be hoping to remedy that on the Sunshine Double.
He has played four tournaments so far this year, won his first match in each of those, but has been eliminated in his second match in each of those. He will need to raise his game and consistency levels if he is to do well this next week or so.
Ultimately, Tiafoe should be too good for Dzumhur in this match. He is not firing on all cylinders but he is the better player and should get the victory.
Damir Dzumhur vs Frances Tiafoe Tip: Frances Tiafoe to win
