Bob Larson Tennis Pro News
March 4, 2025

At this rate, Rafael Nadal is going to be seeded for Indian Wells.

We aren't kidding. The new-model Indian Wells seeds 32, and it seems likely that at least one or two Top 30 players will miss it (the leading candidates being Sebastien Grosjean, Jiri Novak, and Younes El Aynaoui).

And Nadal, who started this week at #40, is in the Dubai quarterfinal, having beaten Olivier Rochus 6-3 7-5. That puts him at about #36 -- and all-messed-up Paradorn Srichaphan is the only seed in his half of the draw. (Srichaphan, seeded #7, advanced, but only because Dominik Hrbaty retired at 4-3 in the first set with the after-effects of the infection that has been plaguing him since last weekend.) One more win, and Nadal looks like a lock for seeding at the year's first Masters Series.

That win will have to come against Mikhail Youzhny, who earlier topped #2 seed Guillermo Coria. He had no trouble on Wednesday, topping qualifier Dennis van Scheppingen 6-4 7-5.

Nadal, incidentally, is also in the doubles quarterfinal; he and Tommy Robredo pulled off the day's biggest upset as they knocked out #3 seeds Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor in three sets. Also out are #4 seeds Martin Damm and Cyril Suk, who fell to one-time Roland Garros finalists Petr Pala and Pavel Vizner 7-6 6-2. But the surprise team of Jonas Bjorkman and Leander Paes, seeded #2, advanced, beating Kevin Ullyett and Wayne Black 6-3 6-4.

Nadal isn't the only guy looking for an Indian Wells seed. Jarkko Nieminen is just a few points ahead of him, having beaten Gregory Carraz 7-6 6-3.

All the upsets in the first round meant that only one seed was around to play a second round match. #8 Sjeng Schalken edged Fabrice Santoro 5-7 6-4 6-4 (in a rematch of last year's Match of the Day) to reach his first quarterfinal since Chennai. He faces Nieminen next in a rematch of Nieminen's first final at Stockholm 2001.