by Anita Stahl

The BNP Paribas Open draw is beginning to tighten as the WTA goes into its fourth day and the ATP its third.

First off in Stadium 1 at 11 am PST, Germans Angelique Kerber and Andrea Petkovic face off. Kerber is currently No. 2 in the world, but because of Serena Williams’s withdrawal from Indian Wells, will return to No. 1 when the new computer rankings are released. Petkovic is currently at No. 79, but holds a career high of world no. 9, which she achieved in 2011. Kerber leads their head to head 7-3, having won each of the last six meetings. While Kerber has made it into the Indian Wells semi-finals in the past, she has a three-match losing streak at the tournament that she is trying to break.

Other matches that are sure to entice tennis fans are Venus Williams taking on Jelena Jankovic. Jankovic leads their head to head with a narrow 7-6 margin. This will only be Venus’s second match back at Indian Wells since 2001.

Not before 7 pm PST on the Stadium 1 court, top seed Andy Murray meets the Canadian qualifier, Vasek Pospisil. Murray currently leads their head to head 4-0. With Nadal, Djokovic, and Federer all shunned to the same deadly quarter of the draw, the only other top ten seeded player in his section is Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.