Alexander Zverev's projected path to Indian Wells Open 2025 final

In the absence of Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev is the top seed and is eyeing a maiden title at Indian Wells.

Alexander Zverev has been given the top billing for Indian Wells Open 2025, scheduled from March 5 to 16. The German’s journey in 2025 has been topsy-turvy, having made it to the finals of the Australian Open earlier this year. After that, he competed in three tournaments but failed to make it to the last four in all of those tournaments.

Although he was seeded No. #1 in all three tournaments, Zverev couldn’t get past the quarterfinals, losing to unseeded players in two of those three competitions. The 27-year-old would want to lay his hands on a trophy as it has been eluding the man, who stands at 6 ft 6 inches and packs a punch. With him being the top-seeded here at the Indian Wells Open 2025, Zverev has a fairly easy route to the finals.

Let’s look at his probable path and opponents in his bid to win his maiden Indian Wells Open in 2025.

Alexander Zverev’s projected path to Indian Wells Open 2025 final

First Round – Bye

All seeded players have been given a bye in the first round.

Second Round – Tallon Griekspoor

Alexander Zverev’s first opponent will be Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands. The Dutchman has been making waves in the circuit with rare wins against the top-20 players. It includes a win against Zverev in the 2023 Rotterdam Open. But the German leads the overall head-to-head numbers with six wins to a solitary loss.

These two met in the third round at the Indian Wells last year, with Zverev winning in straight sets, and one could expect the same result this year as well.

Also Read: Top five title favourites in men’s singles at Indian Wells Open 2025

Third Round – Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard

Zverev’s first challenge from a seeded player is likely to be in the third round against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard of France. The 21-year-old is new to the circuit, having made the headlines by winning the 2021 French Open Boys’ doubles title. While he is still a work in progress in the singles, he will look forward to facing Alexander Zverev.

The German is expected to coast through the game, but the French guy would want to make it memorable against the World No. #2.

Fourth Round – Frances Tiafoe

The three-time Grand Slam finalist might face World No. #10 Frances Tiafoe in the round of 16. Both share a rich past in the last decade with nine meetings and Zverev came out on top on eight occasions. It includes wins in all four Grand Slams and in the finals of the 2021 Vienna Open.

But the American has been a much-improved athlete in the last year, having made it to the semis of the US Open and the finals of the Cincinnati Open. He will definitely pose a tough challenge for the German, who wants to put in a strong performance to make it to the quarters.

Also Read: Indian Wells Open 2025: Updated schedule, fixtures, results, live streaming details

Quarterfinals – Stefanos Tsitsipas

Probably, Zverev’s toughest challenge might be in the last eight as he is likely to face Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Greek has the upper hand over the World No. #2 with 10 wins when compared to Zverev’s six victories. Alexander must be ready for the challenge as he would be fully aware of what it takes to make it to the top four of an ATP 1000 event.

Tsitsipas will be filled with confidence coming into the tournament, having won the Dubai Tennis Championships last week. Zverev will have to bring his best game against the World No. #9. Although Tsitsipas has better head-to-head stats, it was the German who won their previous contest, which was played at the 2024 Paris Masters.

Zverev hasn’t had two consecutive wins against Tsitsipas in his career and would want to create history if he wants to qualify for the semifinals.

Semifinals – Daniil Medvedev/Casper Ruud

One challenge will lead to a bigger challenge in these events as the No. #1 seed might face another nemesis in Daniil Medvedev in the battle for the finals. The Russian, a former World No. #1, is having a tough start to 2025, as he had a shocking second-round exit at the Australian Open. He has played in four tournaments and has been beaten by unseeded players.

Medvedev has a relatively easy draw and could face Casper Ruud in the quarterfinals. If he can’t get past Casper, then the Norwegian will be challenging Zverev in the semis. While the World No. #2 has a negative record against Medvedev, his numbers against Casper would urge his thinking to expect him.

The German came out triumphant in both his meetings against Casper and would want to continue that to have a shot at the trophy.

Also Read: Top 10 players to watch at Indian Wells Open 2025

Finals – Carlos Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz is a fan favourite, and everyone would want to see the top two seeds battle it in the finals. Zverev has a slight 6-5 head-to-head advantage over the Spaniard, but that doesn’t count out Alcaraz by any means. These two had some interesting battles last year, with both sharing the honours at 2-2.

While Zverev stopped Alcaraz at the Australian Open, the Spaniard hit back by beating him in the finals of the Roland Garros. In the 2024 Indian Wells, it was Alcaraz who knocked out Zverev in the quarterfinals with a dominating 6-3, 6-1 win. If these two face off, then it promises to be a cracking contest, and no one would want to guess the winner of the contest as both are capable of producing some top-class Tennis action.

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