Third round play at the BNP Paribas Open wraps up on Monday with yet more eye-catching matchups. Let’s take a closer look at five of them:

Carlos Alcaraz vs. Denis Shapovalov

Carlos Alcaraz got a surprise before his opening match against big-serving Frenchman Quentin Halys. Bee keeper Lance Davis, who took care of last year’s bee swarm during Alcaraz’s quarterfinal with Alexander Zverev, was invited for the coin toss.

“It was funny,” said Alcaraz. “When I saw him, I was laughing.” Alcaraz was also in good spirits after his performance, easing past Halys in just over an hour. Things could be harder against a resurgent Denis Shapovalov in a match that’s sure to produce some electric shotmaking.

The left-hander from Canada sits inside the top 10 in the 2025 points tally after winning Dallas and making the semifinals in Acapulco in his last two events. Their only head to head came at the French Open on clay, Shapovalov’s least preferred surface, in 2023. He hit 10 double faults that day in a straight-set loss

Coco Gauff vs. Maria Sakkari

Coco Gauff entered Tennis Paradise in unusual circumstances — losing three matches in a row.
The last time that happened? In 2019. She narrowly avoided losing four in a row, needing a third-set tiebreak on Saturday against the rising Moyuka Uchijima.

And speaking of double faults, Gauff — who won a third-set tiebreak to start her 2024 event — struck 21. “I think if I just double faulted less it could have probably been a straight-set match,” said Gauff. “I felt off the ground like I was dictating more of the rallies. Gauff thought her next opponent would be the winner of the clash between Amanda Anisimova and Belinda Bencic.

But it’s actually Maria Sakkari. They battle in the desert again after Sakkari prevailed in a rain affected semifinal last year. This season, Sakkari dropped outside the top 30 for the first time in five years. However, the Greek always seems to be inspired in Indian Wells, making two finals and a semifinal in her last three appearances.

Emma Navarro vs. Donna Vekic

There are match point escapes, then there’s what Emma Navarro pulled off against Sorana Cirstea on Saturday night. The match looked to be over when a Navarro forehand hit the top of the net and sat up nicely for Cirstea at 5-3 in the third set. Cirstea might have hit a winner but didn’t.

At the same time, though, Navarro’s reflex backhand that turned into a winning lob was incredible.Like Gauff, Navarro — who upset Aryna Sabalenka last year in Indian Wells — claimed a final-set tiebreak.

The 10th seed is 0-1 against Donna Vekic, the tenacious Croatian who made the Wimbledon semifinals and Olympic final in a matter of weeks last year. Vekic ended a pair of streaks when she beat Elina Avanesyan after a bye — a four-match skid and a six-match skid in Indian Wells.

Madison Keys vs. Elise Mertens

Who was the last player to beat Madison Keys at a major? Elise Mertens at last year’s US Open in a nearly three-hour slugfest. Keys hit 69 unforced errors. It felt like Keys didn’t hit 69 unforced errors during the entire Australian Open on the way to her maiden Grand Slam title. Mertens has won her last two matches against Keys and is doing a lot of winning in general, making two finals in 2025 to give her a No. 16 spot in the calendar year standings.

Keys, though, owns a 13-match winning streak. That after taking some time off when returning to Florida from Australia. “There was probably three or four days where I didn't really leave the house, kind of just laid on the couch, was kind of just doing the bare minimum, grocery shopping, and then that was kind of the outing of the day,” said Keys.“Being able to kind of just have some days at home and not have to do anything and just be horizontal was really nice.”

Taylor Fritz vs. Alejandro Tabilo

How did Taylor Fritz feel in his comeback from an abdominal injury? “I didn't think about I guess my oblique injury once, which is a good sign,” said the 2022 champ. “It's good I felt I could play physically and normal. Definitely some things I want to clean up, need to do better. All in all, it was a pretty solid match.”

The Californian topped Italian qualifier Matteo Gigante and gets another left-hander next in Tabilo. They faced off last year at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, with Fritz triumphing in straight sets. In fact, he’s never lost a set to the Canadian-born Chilean in three matches.

But will the 31st-ranked Tabilo — who beat Novak Djokovic last year and made finals on three different surfaces — feel more relaxed after ending a seven-match losing streak on Saturday?

Andreeva wins anticipated rematch

Mirra Andreeva met Clara Tauson in a historic final in Dubai last month. Andreeva, 17, and Tauson, 22, comprised the youngest final in WTA 1000 history. Andreeva triumphed in straight sets that day and did so again at Stadium 1 under the lights, 6-3, 6-0.

Andreeva showed why she’s risen more than 300 spots in the rankings since early in 2023, blending power with anticipation and fine counterpunching. Her backhand return winner down the line to break for 2-0 in the second set might have been her best shot.

In another dazzling moment, the World No. 11 ’s drop shot, lob combination gave her another break for 4-0 in the second. But like Yastremska, the big hitting Tauson misfired,
making 31 unforced errors. The 21st-ranked Dane threw her hands up in frustration more than once as the misses piled up.

Andreeva next plays Elena Rybakina — who she beat in Dubai — on Tuesday. “I’m happy with the way I managed to stay in the game. I didn’t give her much rhythm,” said Andreeva on court. “I guess it was not bad. But there is of course a lot of things to work on and I
think Conchita is already making a practice schedule for tomorrow,” Andreeva added light-heartedly, referring to her Grand Slam winning coach, Conchita Martinez.