Preview Indian Wells 2026 Day Six | Alcaraz faces familiar opponent, Swiatek looks for revenge as Draper and Andreeva continues title defence

Day six of Indian Wells will see the culmination of round three. Half of the lineup is already complete on the ATP and WTA events, but there are still a number of players looking to book their spots in the next stage of the 1000 tournament.

Round four beckons once more for Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic who would both fancy their chances for this title. They both witnessed Jannik Sinner breeze through yesterday with a comfortable win over Denis Shapovalov and will know that they need to be at their absolute best if they are to win this title.

Alcaraz will go into it as the favourite just because of his insane form in 2026, yet to lose a match yet. He has also enjoyed much joy in California, winning two titles with a couple of semi-finals also on his record at Indian Wells. He had defeated Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets and will be hoping to do the same against Arthur Rinderknech. They clashed as recently as the Qatar Open with the Frenchman keeping tabs with the world number one but not able to get anything over him.

Djokovic has endured some dreadful form at Indian Wells in recent times. The five-time champion will be hoping for another deep run in this tournament, something not experienced for some time. He was a very early loser last year before he made a run all the way to the final of the Miami Open, but that is a discussion for next week. The Serbian's full focus is on the next match which comes against Aleksandar Kovacevic who picked up a crucial triumph over Corentin Moutet to have the chance to take on the 24-time Grand Slam champion.

Jack Draper and Cameron Norrie have both tasted success in Indian Wells. Draper completed a huge title triumph last year when he stormed to glory, dumping out Alcaraz in the semi-finals before demolishing Holger Rune in the final. He is finally gaining some momentum on court following a torrid period on the sidelines.

The arm injury seems to have healed and he is targeting to go deep in this tournament. That could be halted in the last-16 with a possible clash against Djokovic on the cards if results go as planned. However, to get there he will need to find a way past Francisco Cerundolo who is coming off a positive Golde swing where he won the Argentina Open.

Norrie is also back on the rise after a tough spell of his own where he plummeted down the rankings. The 2021 champion has a really tough clash against Alex de Minaur who despite a hindrance at the Mexican Open is in very good form. The Aussie has started the year well, playing some high quality tennis to the top of his ability and has reaped the rewards with the ABN AMRO Open. He has only reached one Masters 1000 final coming back in 2023. It is a long time in the making for his maiden title in this category.

Last-16 spots are on the line for some other top players. Another former champion in the form of Taylor Fritz will hope to find a bit of form. The world number seven took down Jacob Fearnley in three sets, missing more match points enroute which gave flashbacks to the Dallas Open final. He will be hoping to get back to his clinical best in California with an all-American tie against Alex Michelsen a very interesting tie.

That is it for the Americans in action on the ATP Tour on day six. Dubai champion Daniil Medvedev will be in action. In mixed form, he will be very much hoping for another deep run in a big tournament. He has overcome from his tight escape from the Middle East with Sebastian Baez his next task.

Alexander Bublik was a little more fortunate leaving that area of the world than Medvedev. He has had more time to prepare as he competes in a first Masters 1000 tournament while being ranked in the top 10 in the world. Qualifier Rinky Hijikata has been one of the surprises of the week as he most recently took down Luciano Darderi. Along with that, Casper Ruud and Valentin Vacherot became first-time Masters 1000 champions last year in completely different scenarios and stories. Only one of them can progress into the last-16.

Just under a month ago, Iga Swiatek and Maria Sakkari faced off in the quarterfinals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Swiatek took the first set before something that had never happened in a WTA 1000 match occurred: the Pole lost the match after going ahead.

This incredible record going was just a fleeting headline compared to another surprise Swiatek defeat who is struggling to find her most imperious form on the big stage. Yet to reach a singles semi-final in 2026, she will he desperately hoping to turn his form around against the Greek opposition once more, who has reached the final of this tournament twice.

Swiatek knows how to win at Indian Wells, taking home the coveted title twice. The 2023 champion began the year by winning the Australian Open, living up to the hype that she showcased in Riyadh at the WTA Finals. While the Kazakh has not been at his imperious best since, if she can find those levels deep in the tournament, especially if her serve is on song, then she will be almost impossible to topple. That will be tested again today with a fast-starting Marta Kostyuk already getting the better of the world number three enroute to an eye-catching Brisbane International final before injury halted her progress.

There is an argument that Jessica Pegula is the most inform player heading into this tournament. The 32-year-old took home the Dubai title in a dominant campaign. Three tournaments and three semi-finals reached is a hugely impressive showing from the world number five who will be looking up the rankings with Coco Gauff's early exit a chance for her to gain some more positions with a second WTA 1000 title in 2026. No diamonds will be halting her progress like against Donna Vekic with former Roalnd Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko a tricky customer to take on.

Another Grand Slam champion will be appearing once more at Indian Wells. Madison Keys was electric at the start of 2025 but that same form has not been continued since. It is her first tournament since the Australian Open where she was defeated by her good friend Pegula. She appeared to be in good form in a straight sets win over Diane Parry and will be hoping to keep up the pace against Brit Sonay Kartal who survived a match point against Emma Navarro in her second round bout.

Mirra Andreeva felt more excitement than nerves when making her return to Indian Wells after winning the title last year. She is yet to drop a game in this tournament after disposing of Solana Sierra 6-0, 6-0 and will be hoping to continue that scintillating form against a tougher opponent in the form of Katerina Siniakova. The doubles specialist is playing her trade in the singles as well as the team event, taking down former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez in three sets.

As for the rest of the action, the inform Elina Svitolina is looking to send another American tumbling out of the event on home soil. The Ukrainian will take on an improving Ashlyn Krueger as she looks to keep up the rampant rampage she is currently experiencing on the WTA Tour.

Belinda Bencic was experiencing the same form at the start of the year when she led Switzerland to the United Cup final, losing to Poland. If she kept wearing those Swiss colours then maybe she would still be on that spurt of form. The former semi-finalist will look to get one step closer to the business end with Elise Mertens standing in her way. Finally, Qatar Open champion Karolina Muchova will be hoping to find a way past Antonia Ruzic as she sets her sights on appearing in the top 10 again.