Marcos got off to a fast start in the desert, winning two matches to qualify for the BNP Paribas Open and claiming his opening round encounter against Yoshihito Nishioka.
Marcos is all but assured of returning to the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings following a pair of straight-set wins over Thanasi Kokkinakis and Vincent Millot. He dropped a combined seven games in qualifying for the Indian Wells main draw, where he is making his ninth appearance.
With his best result coming on debut in 2006 (quarterfinals), Marcos is hoping to enjoy another deep run in the California desert. He opened his main draw campaign with a 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 defeat of Nishioka on Friday, needing two hours and 14 minutes to advance. He fired 15 aces and converted six of 13 break chances.
Marcos will next face his biggest test of the season against 14th seed Diego Schwartzman in the second round. It will be their second head-to-head encounter, with Marcos earning a memorable 6-0, 6-0 victory in Houston two years ago.
