The BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells is one of the most important events outside the 4 Grand Slams, and WTA 1000 main draw begins on Wednesday, promising exciting action from the best in the world over the ensuing 12 days to kick off this year’s Sunshine Double.
The combined WTA 1000 and ATP 1000 event continues through until Sunday, 17 March.
Qualifying is being held on Monday and Tuesday for 48 hopeful women, but Britain’s Heather Watson missed out after narrowly losing to Spain’s Rebeka Masarova, 3-6 6-4 6-4 on Day 1, while Harriet Dart takes on Darja Semenista from Latvia on Day 2.
Last year produced a thrilling final between Elena Rybakina, the 10th seed, and World No 2 Aryna Sabalenka, with the Kazakh overpowering the Belarusian in two tight sets, 7-6(11) 6-4, having previously taken out top-seeded Iga Swiatek in the semi-finals.
Swiatek, the World No 1, leads the charge again this year in the 96 player draw, although she might well feel she is back at the Australian Open, where she beat fellow Grand Slam winner Sofia Kenin in the 1st-round and Grand Slam finalist Danielle Collins in the 2nd, before being upset by Linda Noskova in round 3.
At Indian Wells after receiving a bye, Swiatek could meet Collins again in the 2nd-round, and Noskova in the 3rd, although Katie Boulter, who won the WTA 500 title in San Diego on Sunday, could be her 3rd-round opponent if the British No 1 first can get past Camila Giorgi and Noskova, the No 26 seed.
Collins, a former World No 7, upset Swiatek to reach her lone Grand Slam final at the 2022 Australian Open, but the Pole has won their other 5 meetings, although the American did push her to 3 tight sets in an Australian Open rematch earlier this year.
World No 1 Iga Swiatek leads the charge at Indian Wells
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On the other side of the first quarter, Ons Jabeur and Jelena Ostapenko could face off in the Round of 16, but, before that, two former World No 1 players, Venus Williams and Angelique Kerber, could be potential early opponents for Ostapenko, the No 10 seed.
Jabeur, the 6th seed, faces a potential rematch with the player she lost to at this year’s Australian Open, 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva, in the 2nd-round, if the latter overcomes wild-card Katie Volynets for starters.
In Melbourne, Andreeva needed 56 minutes to sweep past Jabeur, who is dealing with a lingering knee injury.
Whoever comes out of this section could meet meet 2011 Indian Wells champion Caroline Wozniacki in the 3rd-round, providing the former World No 1 can beat Zhu Lin and No 25 seed Donna Vekic, back to back.
Speaking of rematches, if the seedings hold, Swiatek and defending champion Rybakina will meet in the semi-finals for the second straight season, and they just played in the Doha final last month.
Caroline Wozniacki is a former World No 1 and the 2011 Indian Wells champion
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Rybakina, the 4th seed and this year’s current match-win leader, with 17 victories, including two titles, leads the 2nd quarter, and she could face 2021 Indian Wells champion Paula Badosa in the 2nd-round.
Badosa, a former World No 2, who received a wild-card this year, takes on fellow wild-card Ashlyn Krueger in the 1st-round for the chance to play Rybakina.
Also in this section, No 13 seed Jasmine Paolini and No 21 seed Anna Kalinskaya will meet in the 3rd-round if seedings hold, which would be a rematch of the final at the most recent WTA 1000 event, last month’s Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Reigning Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova is seeded No 7 at the other side of this quarter, and the reigning Wimbledon champion will face either former Top 20 player Daria Saville or a qualifier in the 2nd-round.
Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu is a wild-card into the main draw and opens against a qualifier
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Reigning US Open champion Coco Gauff is the highest seed in the 3rd quarter of the draw, and the 3rd seed will meet either Clara Burel or Wang Xiyu in the round 2.
Gauff, the home crowd favourite, could possibly face 2018 Indian Wells champion Naomi Osaka in the Round of 16, but the former World No 1 plays a qualifier in the 1st-round, and could meet No 14 seed Liudmila Samsonova in the 2nd to make it that far.
On the opposite side of this section, Zheng Qinwen resides as the No 8 seed.
The Chinese No 1 reached her first Grand Slam final earlier in Melbourne and could face her compatriot Yuan Yue, last week’s Austin champion, in the 2nd-round.
Zheng could take on former World No 1 Victoria Azarenka in the 3rd-round, the No 27 seed having captured the title at Indian Wells in 2012 and 2016.
World No 2 Aryna Sabalenka, who lost the 2023 final at Indian Wells to Elena Rybakina, has a bye into round 2
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Sabalenka, last year’s finalist, sits at the bottom of the draw as the No 2 seed, and will play either Elisabetta Cocciaretto or Peyton Stearns in the 2nd-round.
The Belarusian successfully defended her Australian Open title earlier this season, but suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Donna Vekic in her opening round in Dubai after taking a 3 week break.
2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu or this year’s AO semi-finalist Dayana Yastremska are possible 3rd-round opponents for Sabalenka.
Raducanu, a wild-card into the draw, opens against a qualifier, with the winner of that match taking on No 30 seed Yastremska in round 2.
No 16 seed Elina Svitolina, seeking her first Indian Wells match-win since 2021, could be a Round-of-16 opponent for the player who comes out of that section.
In the other portion of the 4th quarter, No 5 seed Jessica Pegula and Maria Sakkari, the 9th seed, could meet in the Round of 16.
Sakkari has posted some of her best results of late at Indian Wells, making the 2022 final and the semi-finals last year.
Keynote 1st-round matches to look out for include Kenin against Viktoriya Tomova, Wozniacki taking on Zhu, and another former World No 1, Karolina Pliskova playing Anna Blinkova.
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