Friday’s action at the 2013 BNP Paribas Open will feature several of the biggest names in all of tennis, with Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Maria Sharapova all set to take the stage at Indian Wells, Calif. Here’s a rundown of the schedule for the day.
BNP Paribas Open 2013: Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray on display Friday
The men’s quarterfinals and women’s semifinals fill out the schedule for Friday at the BNP Paribas Open. Let’s look at the top names set to face off.
Matthew Stockman
Treat Huey/Jerzy Janowicz vs. Alexander Peya/Bruno Soares, 2 p.m. ET
The Huey and Janowicz combo took down two prominent doubles teams on the way to the semifinals, defeating Jamie and Andy Murray in Round 2, and Mardy Fish and James Blake in the quarterfinals. Peya and Soares are coming off a third-set tiebreak victory over Colin Fleming and Paul Hanley. The winner of this match could take on the Bryan brothers in the finals, depending on their semifinal outcome.
No. 1 Novak Djokovic vs. No. 8 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, not before 4:30 p.m. ET
Djokovic blanked Sam Querrey in the first set of their fourth-round match, but Querrey battled in the second, forcing a tiebreak that ultimately went the way of the top seed. Tsonga finally dropped his first set in Round 4 against Milos Raonic, but it hasn’t been smooth sailing the entire way for the Frenchman. He’s been forced into three set tiebreaks in seven total sets so far.
These two last faced off at the 2012 Barclays ATP World Tour Final, where Djokovic won in straight sets. Tsonga hasn’t defeated Djokovic since the 2010 Australian Open, excluding his walkover Masters Series win in 2011.
No. 3 Andy Murray vs. No. 7 Juan Martin del Potro, not before 6:30 p.m. ET
Murray struggled with Yen-Hsun Lu early on in Round 3, but settled down and took care of business in the final two sets. Del Potro, on the other hand, is cruising through each match. He most recently bested Tommy Haas, 6-1, 6-2, in his best match of the tournament.
While Murray holds a 5-1 series lead over del Potro, they haven’t met since 2009. We’ll see if the young Argentine can close the gap a bit.
No. 8 Caroline Wozniacki vs. Angelique Kerber, not before 9:30 p.m. ET
Both women will be well-rested after walkovers in the quarterfinals. Victoria Azarenka and Samantha Stosur each withdrew with injury, putting Wozniacki and Kerber straight through to the semis. Wozniacki dropped a single set in Round 3, while Kerber is still sporting a clean record.
No. 13 Maria Kirilenko vs. No. 2 Maria Sharapova, not before 11:30 p.m. ET
The all-Maria matchup was seen at Indian Wells last year, too. Sharapova defeated Kirilenko, 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, in the quarterfinals in 2012. This time around she’s yet to drop a single set. Meanwhile, Kirilenko has gone to three sets in each of her three victories so far.
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