Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Indian Wells Masters match.
Holger Rune remains in the top 20 but has struggled to make deep tournament runs in 2025, while Stefanos Tsitsipas is on the rise again after securing his first Masters title of the year in Dubai.
Holger Rune
Holger Rune currently sits 13th in the ATP rankings and barely survived his previous match against Ugo Humbert (5:7, 6:4, 7:5). Against top-10 opposition, Rune’s form has been concerning, winning only two of his last nine matches. Although he once rivaled Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, the Dane has slipped out of the elite tier. Rune leads the head-to-head against Tsitsipas (3-0), but their last meeting was over 18 months ago, and they have never faced each other on a hard court.
Stefanos Tsitsipas
Stefanos Tsitsipas has improved significantly in 2025, particularly his backhand, which was previously a weakness. The Greek is known for long opening sets, with five of his last ten matches featuring first-set tiebreaks, but he has won all seven of his most recent matches against top-100 opponents. Fresh off his Dubai Masters triumph, Tsitsipas has won 11 of his last 13 ATP fourth-round matches (85%), making him a strong favourite.
Holger Rune vs Stefanos Tsitsipas Prediction
Tsitsipas is in excellent form, has just won an ATP 500 title, and is extremely consistent at this stage of tournaments. Rune struggled against Humbert and faces an even tougher challenge here, so backing the Greek for victory is the best bet.
