Tomas Berdych vs Milos Raonic BNP Paribas Open tennis live: Milos Raonic looks poised for the upset in Indian Wells

Having survived a teenage test, can Tomas Berdych keep winning against a former prodigy who is finally fulfilling his potential? The no. 6 seed takes on Milos Raonic on Wednesday in Indian Wells.

Tomas Berdych had already had talented youngsters thrown at him this season - and more than once, it was a challenge that the 30-year-old could not outlast on the day. Having contested three matches against Australia's Nick Kyrgios and two versus 18-year-old Alexander Zverev already this season, not one of them has been straight-forward – and only three have resulted in victory for the Czech. Against the latter player, 'Sascha' Zverev, Berdych squeezed out a 6-3 3-6 7-5 triumph in Hamburg before an even tougher battle in the Davis Cup – his 7-6(6) 1-6 4-6 76(5) 6-4 win leaving the German emotionally overwhelmed.

Kyrgios, meanwhile, has stalled what could otherwise have been a successful season so far for Berdych. Before this season they had never gone head to head, but while Berdych produced a four set victory in the Australian Open third round, 20-year-old Nick Kyrgios has gone on to defeat the big-server twice in three sets. Losses by 6-4 6-2 and 6-4 6-4 scorelines added him to an upset roll of the Aussie's that features Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray (Hopman Cup.)

So it was uncertain ground when Berdych – usually so consistent – went up against Croatia's Borna Coric in Indian Wells on Monday. Aged 19 at present, Coric secured a straight sets win over Rafael Nadal while just 17, and an even swifter victory over Andy Murray soon after. With a tattoo inked onto his arm reading 'there is nothing worse in life than being normal', and a game that suggests he wants to be anything but, he was considered a serious contender against Berdych.

Nevertheless, despite the second set being a thoroughly close affair, the world no. 7 progressed in little more than one and a half hours on Monday. Saving four of the eight break points he faced to his opponent's three of nine, Berdych won 80 percent of both first and second serve points during the first set to take it 6-1. And while world no. 47 Coric stepped it up in the second, it was not enough to prevent Berdych scoring a 6-1 7-6(3) win – and setting up a meeting with Australian Open semifinalist Milos Raonic.

Now 25  years old, Milos Raonic is not the young prospect he once was – but he is definitely a star on the rise. After he attained his first Grand Slam semifinal at Wimbledon in 2014 but failed to reattain the heights, there were those who began to think that the powerful Canadian had missed his opportunity. But after a 2015 marred by injury, Raonic has re-emerged incredibly and unexpectedly, showing the tennis world that he is still on the rise. 

After he swept Roger Federer aside in the Brisbane International final, Milos Raonic said that he could win the Australian Open. And he went very close to fulfilling that statement, flying through the tournament aggressively and superbly before getting injured two sets to he good against Andy Murray.

This is the Canadian's first tournament  since  that heartbreak, and already the confident world no. 14 has shown no relent. In his opener he took less than an hour to dispatch Inigo Cervantes 6-1 6-3, and he was leading Aussie Bernard Tomic 6-2 3-0 before the world no. 22 retired on Monday.

Now, it is time for a battle between two men who were once renowned for their incredible serves, but now have great groundstroke games to back them up. In an extremely close rivalry, Raonic currently edges Berdych with three wins to the 30-year-old's two. Their first encounter came at the 2012 Cincinnati Masters – with Milos Raonic a three-set victor – and their latest came last year in Monte Carlo – where Raonic retired down 5-2. That was their only clash that came away from hard-courts.

Despite being the lower ranked player, history and form favour Milos Raonic to progress to the quarter-finals in Indian Wells. Nevertheless, this upcoming clash should be a battle. Two of Raonic's three wins over Tomas Berdych have come in three sets, with the lone exception containing a tiebreak.