The first round of the Indian Wells Masters, aka “the unofficial fifth grand slam,” got underway on Wednesday and will continue on Thursday with several matches kicking off at 2 p.m. ET.
The headliner for Thursday’s tennis action is a showdown between a resurgent Andy Murray and clay-court specialist Tomas Martin Etcheverry of Argentina.
Andy Murray vs. Tomas Martin Etcheverry pick
Although it’s played on a hard court, Indian Wells is known for having some of — if not — the slowest conditions of any hard-court tournament on the tennis circuit.
This is not like the Australian Open or US Open where players with big serves have a bigger margin for error than those who do not.
Any style of tennis can play at Indian Wells, which makes it a fascinating tournament to watch and handicap.
Both Andy Murray and Tomas Martin Etcheverry should be well-suited for these conditions.
Murray is known for his defense, consistency and ability to construct points.
There are few, if any, easy points when Murray is on the court, even now in the twilight of his career.
But the Scot isn’t cooked yet.
He made an inspiring run to the third round at the Australian Open with wins over Matteo Berrettini and a classic against Thanasi Kokkinakis and then followed that up with a run to the finals in Dubai.
Murray beat Sascha Zverev and Jiri Lehecka in that tournament before bowing out to Daniil Medvedev.
While Murray is a sizable favorite against Etcheverry, it’s hard to see this being a blowout.
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The Argentine does his best work on clay surfaces, but the slow conditions at Indian Wells should be to his liking.
Etcheverry had a solid showing during the ‘Golden Swing’ in South America, making a run to the quarterfinals in Argentina and the finals in Chile, so his form should give him confidence heading into this match.
In the end, Murray is the likely winner, but this match projects to be a tight contest with both players in good form.
If you’re looking for a moneyline bet, the play would be Etcheverry at the number, but the over 21.5 games seems a savvy play since this match projects to be a grind, full of momentum swings and lead changes.