Two Grand Slam champions are set to lock horns in the first round of the women’s tournament at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
The draw for the WTA 1000 event took place on Monday evening with a blockbuster first round meeting between former champion Naomi Osaka and Sloane Stephens set to headline the opening round of matches. Osaka, who hasn’t played since the Australian Open, won her maiden Tour title in Indian Wells back in 2018. Meanwhile, Stephens will be making her 11th main draw appearance at the tournament with her best-ever run taking place in 2014 when she reached the quarter-finals. Stephens leads their head-to-head 2-0 but the last time they played against each other was almost four years ago at the WTA Finals.
In other notable first round matches, former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin will take on Beatriz Haddad Maia. The American has received a wildcard into the tournament following what has been a turbulent time on the Tour in recent months. After Wimbledon last year she didn’t play another event that year due to a foot injury and then catching covid-19. This year she is currently on a five-match losing streak.
Lyon Open finalist Dayana Yastremska takes on former top 10 player Caroline Garcia in her opening match. The Ukrainian could then face reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu if she wins.
All 32 seeds in this year’s draw have received a bye in the first round. The tournament will be headed by top seed Barbora Krejčíková who will be playing in the Indian Wells main draw for only the second time in her career. The Czech is projected to play Sorana Cirstea in the third round followed potentially by either Simona Halep or Coco Gauff. Krejčíková is yet to win a WTA 1000 event in her career.
At the other end of the draw Aryna Sabalenka could face an all-Belarussian clash with Victoria Azarenka in the last 16 should they both come through their earlier matches. So far this season Sabalenka has managed to win back-to-back matches in two out of five tournaments played.
Completing the top four seeds are Iga Swiatek and Anette Kontaveit. Two players who could end the tournament as the world No.2 depending on their results and the results of other players.
Indian Wells will also see the return of Karoline Pliskova who is yet to play a competitive match this season. The former world No.1 has been sidelined from the Tour after suffering a hand injury during the off-season.
Full draw
