A first-round clash between Botic van de Zandschulp and Botic van de Zandschulp and Nick Kyrgios serves as the backdrop in Indian Wells at the BNP Paribas Open. This contest will be an interesting one for tennis fans across the globe as the Dutchman aims to end a three-match losing streak in the Californian desert, whilst Kyrgios makes his long-anticipated return to the tournament.
Van de Zandschulp Seeks to Exorcise Indian Wells Hex
That said, he heads to Indian Wells hoping to perform better than he did at the ATP 1000 event in 2021. Looking lost since his third-round run in 2022 (over Tennys Sandgren and Felix Auger-Aliassime before succumbing to Miomir Kecmanovic), the Dutchman has recently looked rather hopeless in the tournament. It is the third time he has gone out in the first round, having lost to Ilya Ivashka in 2023 and Denis Shapovalov last year.
Van de Zandschulp, currently ranked No. 85 in the world, is looking for his first win in four tries at Indian Wells. He has not shown any kind of stellar form in 2025, with a win-loss
record of 1-5 this season. But he has had elite opponents on the line in tight three-set matches, especially Carlos Alcaraz in Rotterdam and Lorenzo Sonego in Marseille. And his two-hour tussle with Alex de Minaur in Doha shows that he can still mix it up at a high level, even if wins have been scarce.
Considering Kyrgios’s recent lack of match play, Van de Zandschulp might see this match as the ideal chance to end a run of losses at this event and add an important giant-slay to his seasonal highlights.
Kyrgios Is Back. Is His Body Ready?
For Nick Kyrgios, Indian Wells is another chapter in his quest to return to the top of the game after an injury layoff. The Australian last appeared at the tournament in 2022, making it to the quarter-finals where he was defeated by Rafael Nadal in nail-biting clash.
After making a strong run to the quarter-finals at the 2022 US Open, Kyrgios having defeated Tseng Chun-hsin and Kamil Majchrzak in Tokyo. But his withdrawal before a scheduled match against Taylor Fritz because of a knee injury began an extended absence from the tour. Ankle, knee and wrist injuries hobbled him, though he attempted a brief and unsuccessful return in Stuttgart two years ago, losing to Wu Yibing.
The seven-time ATP Tour champion returned to competitive action in early 2025 but is still seeking his first win. He lost in straight sets to Jacob Mpetshi Perricard at Brisbane before suffering a straight-sets first-round reversal against Jacob Fearnley at the Australian Open.
To make things worse, Kyrgios seemed to be troubled by a wrist injury during a practice session on Tuesday, bringing into question the state of his body going into his first match. If he is, the former world No. 13 will try to build on a 7-4 mark at Indian Wells, where he reached the quarter-finals twice (2017, 2022).
Head-to-Head and Prediction
This will be the first career matchup between Van de Zandschulp and Kyrgios, so one of them will take a head-to-head edge at 1-0 following Thursday’s clash.
Van de Zandschulp’s 1-5 record this season is statistically a notch better than Kyrgios’s 0-2 start to 2025, but the Australian’s lack of match play has simply swept him out of the early season discussions. But if Kyrgios is fit, he can be an intimidating opponent on hard courts, with a fierce serve and a powerful array of shots.
The main points of interest here will be Kyrgios’s fitness and Van de Zandschulp being able to take advantage of any of his opponent’s rust. If the Australian falters physically, the Dutchman’s consistency and match sharpness could be a decisive advantage. But if Kyrgios gets his groove on and serves to his capability, he can overpower his opponent and clinch a first victory in nearing on three years.
Final Verdict:
With Kyrgios’s fitness very much in doubt, Van de Zandschulp is a narrow favorite to advance. But if Kyrgios can bring even a glimmer of the form that took him to the US Open quarter-finals in 2022, the Australian may still be too strong for the Dutchman. Look for a closely fought clash here, but Van de Zandschulp may be just about favored by his experience in matches of late and Kyrgios’s absence from the competitive arena.
Comments