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By Giri Nathan
[vc_empty_space height="15px"]This edition of Indian Wells gave the world a glimpse of the imminent power vacuum on the men’s side once the Big Three recedes to the Big One Or Just Occasionally Two. For the solipsistic American fan, a question now emerges: So are we gonna get any guys in the mix or what? If Taylor Fritz plays as lights-out as he did during stretches of last week, he might be the top American for the foreseeable future—but that level might not be so feasible. No one can deny Frances Tiafoe’s charms as an athlete and showman, but week-to-week consistency has eluded him. As for Reilly Opelka, he can be counted on to fill the servebot-shaped hole that John Isner will one day leave in the tour. Seb Korda might have the literal genes of a major champ and some promising early results, but his matches get dicey under pressure. This summer delivered us some brand-new contenders, however, in Jenson Brooksby and Brandon Nakashima, both of whom are thriving this week in Antwerp as they played through qualifying rounds to make the quarterfinals.