Women’s tennis does tend to be known for its unpredictability but will this be the case at Indian Wells?
Two months into the season and there has already been a string of fascinating stories ranging from Aryna Sabalenka winning her first Grand Slam title to Iga Swiatek storming to the Doha title by dropping five games in three matches played.
So what should tennis fans expect in Indian Wells? Here are five topics you should keep a close eye on.
1) Swiatek eyes title defence
In 2022 Iga Swiatek surged to the title by dropping only three sets in six matches played. Her triumph occurred in the middle of her 37-match winning streak. Since then, the Pole has added to her title tally by winning another seven tournaments, including the French Open for a second time and the US Open.
This year has been another solid start to the season for Swiatek who has won nine out of 11 matches played in WTA events (excluding the United Cup). Her only defeats were to Elena Rybakina in the fourth round of the Australian Open and to Barbora Krejcikova in the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships. She won the Qatar Open last month.
Should Swiatek prevail in Indian Wells once again she would become the first female player in over 30 years to successfully defend her title. The only person to have ever done so was Martina Navratilova who won the title in 1990 and 1991.
2) The return of Ons Jabeur
Ons Jabeur will be returning to action in the Californian desert but what form is she currently in?
The Tunisian hasn’t played since her second round exit at the Australian Open after opting to miss the Middle East swing of the Tour to have minor surgery. She is yet to publicly comment on the procedure and it is still unclear as to why she needed to have it.
After suffering a second round exit in Indian Wells last year, Jabeur has a golden opportunity to pick up some ranking points as she bids to one day fulfil her dream of becoming world No.1. As it currently stands, she is ranked fourth in the world and is more than 500 points behind Jessica Pegula who is above her.
Jabeur is in the second section of the draw and will open up her campaign against either Lauren Davis or Maryna Zanevska. She could then play Marie Bouzkova in the third round followed by former champion Victoria Azarenka.
3) Pegula, Gauff carrying home hopes
Over the past two decades, there have been plenty of American players who have impressed on the WTA Tour. However, the last time a home player won Indian Wells was 22 years ago when Serena Williams claimed the 2001 title.
World No.3 Pegula is the highest-ranked American in the draw and the last player from her country to win a WTA 1000 event which was the Guadalajara Open back in November. Remarkably it was 11 years ago when she made her main draw debut in Indian Wells after receiving a wild card into the qualifying draw where she won two matches. Since then, her best run at the tournament was to the quarter-finals in 2021.
French Open finalist Coco Gauff will be making her third appearance in the draw after reaching the last 32 on her two previous attempts. Gauff has already won one title this year which was at the ASB Classic and was also runner-up to Swiatek in Dubai last month.
There are two other American players seeded in the draw which are Madison Keys (19) and Amanda Anisimova (31).
4) All eyes are on Sabalenka
This time last year Sabalenka was struggling with her problematic serve and was frustrated with a lack of consistency in her tennis. However, she has turned a new leaf this season. After working with her coach and a data analytics expert on her serve, the Belarusian is one of the most consistent players on the Tour after winning 13 out of her past 14 matches. The only player to beat her was Krejcikova in Dubai.
The question is can she keep her run in fine form going? Sabalenka is yet to go beyond the fourth round of the tournament and lost her opening match to Jasmine Paolini last year. Although on the flip side, she could gain a hefty amount of points if she goes deep in the draw.
In Sabalenka’s section, she will take on either Alize Cornet or Evgeniya Rodina in her opening match. Then it is possible that she could face last week’s Monterrey Open champion Donna Vekic followed by a rematch with Krejcikova.
5) Caroline Garcia’s recent frustrations
The last time Caroline Garcia played a tournament in America she won the biggest title of her career at the WTA Finals last November. Since then, the Frenchwoman has experienced a somewhat frustrating journey on the Tour.
She has reached the quarter-final stage or better at four out of her past six tournaments, as well as reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open. Twice she has come close to claiming silverware. In Lyon, she was defeated in the final by Alicia Parks who many are tipping to be the next big thing in American tennis. More recently, in Monterrey, she narrowly missed out on the trophy after losing to Vekic in three sets. In the decider, Garcia had eight break point chances but didn’t convert any.
“Terribly tired, physically and mentally, leaving to the airport in 6h but I can’t fall asleep, I am “afraid” to go to sleep. My mind is going crazy,” Garcia wrote on her Instagram story after losing to Vekic.
“Every time I switch off the lights and put my head on the pillow, I can rewatch my match – that serve catching the lines on break point or that easy forehand missed or that bad choice …Tennis can drive you crazy a little bit.”
Historically Garcia has reached the fourth round in Indian Wells on three separate occasions. However, overall she has won only nine matches out of 17 played in the main draw of the tournament.
Could this year be her year?
The full women’s draw can be viewed HERE.
