Indian Wells Masters: Rune vs Wawrinka Tennis Prediction & Pick

TennisSection previews the 2023 Indian Wells Masters as Holger Rune takes on Stan Wawrinka in the third round on Monday, March 13, 2023.

Will Holger Rune get the win? Will Stan Wawrinka pull off the upset? This will be an interesting one, where we have a feisty matchup between a rising star and a legend of the game. Who will triumph and move through to the Round of 16 at the 2023 Indian Wells Masters?

Holger Rune vs. Stan Wawrinka Match Preview

Holger Rune looked quite solid against an inspired Mackenzie McDonald, taking him down 7-5 6-3 in the end. As he takes on Stan Wawrinka, he’ll remember their last match in Paris, where Rune would go on to save two match points and make that epic title run, and there was of course the drama at the end of that contest where Wawrinka told Rune to stop “acting like a baby on court”. The conditions suit both players here, so it’ll be interesting to see if Rune can replicate the result he had last November for a spot in the last 16 at the 2023 Indian Wells Masters.

Stan Wawrinka has quite the challenge ahead of him in Holger Rune, if he wants a shot at the win he’ll have to be at his very best, as he was a little sluggish in his earlier matches. Wawrinka will need to be serving at his best, as Rune will jump on as many second serves as possible. From the back of the court, he’ll need to try and use his sublime backhand down the line to open the court up and stay out of the longer exchanges. At the same time, with Rune’s occasional inconsistencies, if Wawrinka can use his slice and variety to get Rune off balance then he can draw some errors as well. Let’s see if the former grand slam champion still has it in him for a place in the Round of 16 of the 2023 Indian Wells Masters.

Holger Rune vs. Stan Wawrinka Prediction and Pick

Holger Rune and Stan Wawrinka have met once before, with Holger Rune leading the head to head 1-0. As aforementioned, their previous meeting was an epic, and we have the potential to see something like that again. Though Rune is certainly the favorite and could grab this one quite easily, I suspect that Stan the man will come with his mojo to this match and make it something special. Let’s see what these two can produce, although I think Rune will have the gumption to take the game to Wawrinka and the stamina to outrun him in the end and set up a potential matchup with Jannik Sinner for a place in the fourth round at the 2023 Indian Wells Masters.