After getting a bye in the first round, the biggest names in tennis will hit the courts in search of the $5 million prize at the fourth day of the BNP Paribas Open.
BNP Paribas Open 2013: Top seeds enter the fray after first round byes
Many of the top seeds are in action on Saturday after getting a first round bye in the BNP Paribas Open.
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On the men’s side, No. 2 Roger Federer will open up the day taking on Denis Istomin. The two players have met twice before and Federer has dominated his Saturday opponent, winning all three matches and never losing a single set along the way. He will be joined by fourth-ranked David Ferrer, who will be matched up against Kevin Anderson. The two have only met once before, at the U.S. Open last year, where Ferrer won in three sets. Fifth-ranked Rafael Nadal will take on American Ryan Harrison, and it will be the first matchup between the two players.
On the women’s side, top-seeded Victoria Azarenka faces a tough draw in Daniela Hantuchova. Hantuchova is the only woman to have won the championship trophy in Indian Wells more than once, doing so in 2002 and 2007. Azarenka doesn’t struggle against too many people, but Hantuchova seemingly has her figured out, defeating Azarenka in two of the three meetings over their careers. On the opposite end of the bracket, Maria Sharapova will take on Francesca Schiavone, figuring to advance against someone she has defeated in all three meetings over their careers.
The Tennis Channel will broadcast the matches on Saturday, and for the first time in the tournament, the matches can be watched online here. The full schedule of play can be found here.
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