INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA - The BNP Paribas Open is one of the few events where Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci have not had great success, but they are nonetheless the favorites at this year's staging.

The top-ranked duo in the world and the No.1 seeds, Errani and Vinci lost their opener here in 2011 and fell in the quarters in 2012. But they were never in the form they are now coming into Indian Wells, as with titles at the Australian Open, Paris [Indoors] and Doha, and with a Fed Cup win sandwiched in between, the Italians are riding a 14-match winning streak. It is the second-greatest run of their tenure behind the 25 straight they won last year from April to July.

Although No.2 seeds and nine-time WTA titlists Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka have yet to capture a title in 2013, they have a record of success against potential final foes Errani and Vinci that few duos do. The Czechs have three victories in six matches, including the quarterfinals here last year.

Fans won't have to wait long for a scintillating match-up, as Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur drew Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sania Mirza in their opener. Raymond has a tournament record seven titles here, more titles than she has won anywhere else. One of those titles came last year with Liezel Huber, and two came alongside Stosur, with whom she is 10-0 in Indian Wells and with whom she has collected 20 titles.

As for Mattek-Sands and Mirza, they are fresh off their second title of 2013 and fourth overall in Dubai.

Other teams to watch include third-seeded Nadia Petrova and Katarina Srebotnik, fourth-seeded Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina and fifth-seeded Huber and María José Martínez Sánchez.

A title in Sydney and runner-up showings in Doha and Dubai have led Petrova and Srebotnik to 12 wins in 15 matches so far this year.

In their only WTA event of the season so far, Makarova and Vesnina were semifinalists at the Australian Open. On top of that, Vesnina was victorious here in 2008 and 2011 with Dinara Safina and was a runner-up last year alongside Mirza.

Huber and Martínez Sánchez have just one title in their brief history together, but Huber has 53 WTA doubles titles overall, and Martínez Sánchez has 16.