ATP Indian Wells: Fonseca Advances to First Masters 16, Set to Challenge Sinner

In the third round of the men's singles lower half at the ATP Indian Wells Masters today, world No. 2 Sinner continued his pursuit of his first Indian Wells title, defeating Canadian left-handed player Shapovalov 6-3/6-2, extending his winning streak against left-handed opponents to 19 matches. Sinner reached the semifinals here in 2023 and 2024; this is his fifth appearance in the tournament and his fifth advance to the fourth round. His opponent will be Brazilian rising star Fonseca, who regained form and defeated No. 23 seed Paul 6-2/6-3 in the center court's final match, marking his first career entry into a Masters 16.

Sinner

Fonseca

Affected by injuries, Fonseca withdrew from tournaments early in the season, performed poorly at the Australian Open with a first-round exit, then lost his opening match in his Buenos Aires title defense, and only secured one win in Rio de Janeiro before stopping in the second round. At Indian Wells, Fonseca steadily overcame strong opponents, defeating Collignon in two sets in the first round, and saving two match points to eliminate No. 16 seed Khachanov in the second round. With this hot streak, he will face Sinner for their first encounter.

In a "U.S. civil war" between left-handed players, 20-year-old Lerner Chan battled through three sets to defeat world No. 8 Shelton 7-6(3)/4-6/6-3, marking his first career entry into the Indian Wells 16. Shelton, troubled by illness, fought hard but ultimately lost due to exhaustion in the final stages.

“This is fantastic,” Lerner Chan said post-match. “I just want to say Ben (Shelton) wasn’t 100% physically today; he may have felt unwell all week, but he is an incredible fighter and gave everything on court. So I just want to show respect to him.” Lerner Chan’s live ranking has now risen to No. 23. Next, he will face No. 18 seed Davidovich Fokina in the fourth round, who defeated No. 12 seed Mensik 6-2/4-6/6-2.

No. 4 seed Zverev faced a tough test against local standout Brandon Nakashima, ultimately winning 7-6(2)/5-7/6-4 in 2 hours and 31 minutes, becoming the first player since 2020 to achieve 100 Masters victories. He will meet lululemon ambassador No. 21 seed Tiafoe in the fourth round, who swept No. 15 seed Cobolli 6-1/6-2, avenging his Acapulco final loss.

lululemon ambassador Tiafoe

No. 9 seed Aliassime also endured a tough battle, fighting for 2 hours and 27 minutes to reverse defeat Diallo 6-7(5)/6-3/6-3. He will face No. 30 seed Fils in the fourth round, who defeated Fucsovics 6-3/7-5.

In a highlighted men's doubles match, Lerner Chan, playing twice in one day, partnered with Medvedev and lost in doubles, falling 5-7/3-6 to the cousin pair Lindeknech/Vashero.

Men's singles lower half fourth-round matchups

Sinner[2] vs Fonseca

Davidovich Fokina[18] vs Lerner Chan[25]

Zverev[4] vs Tiafoe[21]

Aliassime[9] vs Fils[30]

（Text, edit/ Wang Fei, image/ Visual China）