Indian Wells 2026 Day 4 Recap - The Player Lounge

Day 4 at Indian Wells saw the tournament get into full swing, with the top seeds in action, the wind making life difficult and the round of 64 delivering a mix of routine wins and hard-fought comebacks.

Carlos Alcaraz cruised past Grigor Dimitrov to maintain his clinical start to the season, while Novak Djokovic shook off a set of rust and the gusts to win his first match since the Australian Open final.

João Fonseca delighted fans at Stadium 3 with a stunning escape that included saving match point, and Gabriel Diallo landed one of the biggest shocks of his draw so far by knocking out Andrey Rublev in a three-hour match.

Throw in Taylor Fritz surviving four match points, De Minaur fighting past Korda and Draper’s mid-game reset, and you have an interesting day’s play.

Here are all the results, key matches and what’s coming up on Day 5.

Day four 2026 BNP Paribas Open round of 64 results

Winner	Loser	Score line
(1) Carlos Alcaraz	Grigor Dimitrov	6-2, 6-3
(26) Arthur Rinderknech	Juan Manuel Cerundolo	W/O
(24) Valentin Vacherot	Nuno Borges	7-5, 7-5
(13) Casper Ruud	Alexander Shevchenko	6-1, 7-6(4)
(10) Alexander Bublik	White Kopřiva (LL)	3-6, 7-6(3), 6-2
Rinky Hijikata (Q)	(20) Luciano Darderi	4-6, 6-2, 6-4
(27) Cameron Norrie	Mackenzie McDonald (Q)	6-2, 6-3
(6) Alex de Minaur	Sebastian Korda	4-6, 6-4, 6-4
(3) Novak Djokovic	Kamil Majchrzak	4-6, 6-1, 6-2
Aleksandar Kovacevic	(31) Corentin Moutet	6-1, 6-4
(19) Francisco Cerundolo	Benjamin Bonzi (Q)	6-4, 5-7, 7-6(5)
(14) Jack Draper	Roberto Bautista Agut	3-6, 6-3, 6-2
(11) Daniel Medvedev	Alejandro Tabilo	6-4, 6-2
Sebastian Baez	(22) Jiri Lehecka	6-4, 6-1
Alex Michelsen	(32) Hugo Humbert	7-5, 6-7(5), 7-6(6)
(7) Taylor Fritz	Jacob Fearnley	6-3, 6-7(8), 6-1
Gabriel Diallo	(17) Andrey Rublev	6-7(4), 7-6(1), 6-3
João Fonseca	(16) Karen Khachanov	4-6, 7-6(7), 6-4

Key matches

(1) Carlos Alcaraz def. Grigor Dimitrov 6-2, 6-3

Alcaraz delivered a rock-solid performance in the second round in 66 minutes, extending his 2026 winning streak to 13 matches.

Given Dimitrov’s recent level, it was hard to see Alcaraz being tested, and he dominated from the baseline with accurate forehands despite blustery winds.

Alcaraz called the conditions tough but was overjoyed: “I adapted my game better… I’m really, really happy.” He leads H2H 5-2, and I only see overtime should the two meet again this year.

Up next: 26th seed Arthur Rinderknech (5-0 H2H), who advanced via a walkover from Juan Manuel Cerundolo (left leg injury).

(3) Novak Djokovic def. Kamil Majchrzak 4-6, 6-1, 6-2

Djokovic overcame rust and gusty winds in his first match since the Australian Open final loss to Alcaraz, after dropping the opener.

Novak has never been the best wind player, but he recovered in the latter two sets with greater baseline consistency and aggressiveness, finishing in 2 hours and 12 minutes.

It feels strange that he hasn’t gone past the fourth round here since 2017, considering he’s won 5 times, so I’m not sure if he’ll be a factor in the later rounds. Next: Aleksandar Kovacevic.

Joao Fonseca def. (16) Karen Khachanov 4-6, 7-6(7), 6-4

The 19-year-old Brazilian made a thrilling comeback and saved two match points in the second set tiebreak (blasting a forehand return winner in the first, then an ace in the second). He rode the momentum to a double-break lead in the decider and finished with 32 winners in an electric Stadium 3 atmosphere filled with Brazilian fans.

Fonseca has been disappointing so far this season, and I’ve often dismissed him as a hype peddler due to his financial backing/background. But of course he’s clearly a level above the Romeo Beckham types of this world, and seeing Khachanov off when facing match point is impressive.

Next: Tommy Paul

Gabriel Diallo def. (17) Andrey Rublev 6-7(4), 7-6(1), 6-3

A major upset as the Canadian (world No. 38) rallied from dropping the first-set tiebreak to win the next two in nearly three hours.

Diallo fired 12 aces and 40 winners (with 44 unforced errors), saved 3/5 break points and converted 4/7.

Diallo has had a poor start to 2026 (after a solid 2025), while Rublev had strong recent form but could not maintain it. Diallo advances to face Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime next.

Other notables from day 4

(6) Alex de Minaur def. Sebastian Korda 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 — A bet for me when De Minaur rallied from a set down in a tight all-action match.
(7) Taylor Fritz def. Jacob Fearnley 6-3, 6-7(8), 6-1 — The 2022 champion saved four match points (two on serve at 5-4, two in the tiebreak) before dominating the decider:
(11) Daniil Medvedev def. Alejandro Tabilo 6-4, 6-2 — Effective progress.
(14) Jack Draper def. Roberto Bautista Agut 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 — Defending champions overcome slow start.