Jannik Sinner rolls to set up exciting matchup with Joao Fonseca

Second-seeded Jannik Sinner rolled in his second match at Indian Wells, beating Dennis Shapovalov, 6-3, 6-2, on Stadium Court at the BNP Paribas Open.

The Italian tennis star is now 9-2 this year and 13-3 all-time at Indian Wells.

Sinner is 8-2 in his last 10 matches at Indian Wells, with those two losses coming against top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz. The two are on a collision course to meet in the final, provided they each win three more matches.

Sinner will play Joao Fonseca of Brazil in his next match, in the Round of 16 on Tuesday.

Alexander Zverev escapes against rising American

American Brandon Nakashima pushed No. 4 seed Alex Zverev to the limit on Sunday, but the veteran showed his mettle in the crucial points to pull out a 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-4 win.

“I think today was a completely different match than the last couple of times we played,” Zverev said of Nakashima. “I have never seen him serve the way he served, so credit to him. I think he’s improved a lot, and definitely happy with the win.”

Zverev was happy to advance and his next opponent will be the winner of a match between Flavio Cobolli of Italy and American Frances Tiafoe.

Fonseca beats Paul

The last match on Stadium Court on Sunday included a decent-sized upset, with Fonseca, the Brazilian sensation, beating American Tommy Paul, the 23rd seed in the draw, 6-2, 6-3. The 19-year-old made it look easy, too.

The 16,000-seat stadium was mostly packed for the match, with plenty of support for the upstart teenager.

Fonseca will now play Sinner on Tuesday.

Other results

(30) Arthur Fils def. Marton Fucsovics 6-3, 7-5: The talented Frenchman is a good darkhorse candidate this week as he is playing some of his best tennis and has confidence on these courts. A straight-set win sets up him nicely for his next match which will be against a Canadian, either Felix-Auger Aliassime or Gabriel Diallo.

(18) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina def. (12) Jakub Mensik 6-2, 4-6, 6-2: Davidovich Fokina of Spain shook off a shaky second set and used his veteran wiles to take down the 20-year-old talent from Czechia. Mensik has risen to No. 12 in the rankings and recently had his biggest win ever when he beat Jannik Sinner in Doha. But on this day Davidovich Fokina came up with the big shots in the big moments of the third set.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Jannik Sinner rolls to set up exciting matchup with Joao Fonseca