WTA Indian Wells Masters Women’s Singles Quarterfinals Odds & Picks

• Only three of the top-16 seeds remain as the WTA Indian Wells Masters is down to the final eight
• Halep-Martic and Swiatek-Keys go Wednesday, March 16; the other two matches will be played Thursday
• Read on as we break down the matchups and make some predictions

It’s a bit of a jumble at the top of the women’s game at the moment (that’s also true of the men’s game these days).

And this edition of the Indian Wells Masters in California has only underscored that point.

WTA Indian Wells Masters Quarterfinals Odds

Odds as of March 16 at BetMGM

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Players like Anett Kontaveit and Jelena Ostapenko, who were so strong during the swing of Europe and the Middle East in February, are long gone.

But Paula Badosa, the reigning Indian Wells champion after a surprise run last October, is still very much alive.

Iga Swiatek, the top seed remaining and at the top of the list of favorites coming into the tournament, remains the favorite to win it all.

But Simona Halep is now right behind her.

Maria Sakkari vs Elena Rybakina Prediction

The matchup between these two couldn’t be more of a contrast on court.

Sakkari is loud, in your face and takes up a lot of psychological space on the court. Rybakina, much taller, somehow shrinks in the face of her opponents. Quiet and introverted, she slides in and out of her matches with barely a trace most of the time.

And yet, there is so much talent.

Rybakina made the final in Sydney to begin the season. But since then, coming into Indian Wells, she hadn’t won back-to-back matches.

Actually, it’s even worse than that sounds. The 22-year-old Russian trounced reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu 6-0, 6-1 in Sydney – then gave Caroline Garcia a walkover in the second round. She retired early in the second set of her second-round match at the Australian Open with a foot issue.

Elena Rybakina said she was staggered by how much COVID affected her last month: pic.twitter.com/xHPaXJG9ge

— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) March 15, 2022

And then, she gave opponent Tereza Martincova a walkover in the second round of St. Petersburg after getting COVID-19 and lost in the first round in Qatar.

Rybakina was one of the players most affected by the pandemic, in terms of having the sport shut down for five months and stop some huge momentum in its tracks.

Pick: Over 22.5 games (+110)

Iga Swiatek vs Madison Keys Prediction

Swiatek is a pretty solid favorite in this quarterfinal clash with Madison Keys.

But the 27-year-old American will definitely have the crowd on her side. And she can look to upsets of top seeds by countrymen Jenson Brooksby (over Stefanos Tsitaipas) and Tommy Paul (over Alexander Zverev) as inspiration.

Swiatek has come through a much tougher draw, taking care of No. 29 seed Clara Tauson and then No. 15 Angelique Kerber. But she has to cut down on the errors.

https://twitter.com/senornunes/status/1503853488819912714

Keys has taken advantage of an opportunity. All three of the seeds in her section (No. 8 Garbiñe Muguruza, No. 12 Elina Svitolina and No. 22 Belinda Bencic were eliminated by other players before they could get to her.

Swiatek has dropped the first set of her first three match wins. So it’s possible that could happen again (at +190 for Keys to win it), especially the way the American can serve.

Pick: Swiatek in three sets (+320)

Simona Halep vs Petra Martic Prediction

Halep is the heavy favorite in this one, even though Martic has had the more impressive wins at Indian Wells with a marathon upset of No. 11 seed Emma Raducanu, and then a straight-sets victory over No. 28 seed Liudmila Samsonova of Russia, who was the favorite in that match (and we predicted the upset).

Her slice backhand, which remains a rarity on tour, is effective on the slower, gritty surface.

And a few weeks ago, we might have given her a better chance against Halep, whose early season was about adjustments and who doesn’t currently have a full-time coach. But things have settled down.

Martic does have a win over Halep, but it was 11 years ago.

But she did give the Romanian everything she could handle in a 2018 quarterfinals match at Indian Wells, won by the then-No. 1 Halep in three tough sets.

Pick: Over 20.5 games (+130)