Indian Wells draw: Top two seeds Swiatek and Sabalenka face difficult paths
The BNP Paribas Open draw took place on Monday, with the top players in the world about to descend upon Indian Wells for the start of this year's Sunshine Double.
Main-draw play in Tennis Paradise kicks off Wednesday, March 6. The Top 32 seeds all receive first-round byes, with second-round action for those players starting on Friday, March 8. The combined WTA 1000 and ATP 1000 event continues through Sunday, March 17.
There will be intriguing matchups from the beginning. No.1 seed Iga Swiatek View Profile , No.2 Aryna Sabalenka View Profile and defending champion Elena Rybakina View Profile will all possibly face difficult opponents early.
Here is a quarter-by-quarter breakdown of potential play over the next two weeks:
First quarter
World No.1 Swiatek, the 2022 Indian Wells champion, could quickly face multiple players who have recently given her trouble. Top-seeded Swiatek will meet either Danielle Collins View Profile or a qualifier in the second round, and she could play No.26 seed Linda Noskova View Profile in the third round.
Former World No.7 Collins upset Swiatek to reach her lone Grand Slam final at the 2022 Australian Open. Swiatek has won their other five meetings, but Collins pushed her to three tight sets in an Australian Open rematch earlier this year.
Swiatek then lost to Noskova in the third round of the Australian Open, and the Czech teen went on to reach her first Grand Slam quarterfinal.
At Indian Wells, Noskova could meet rising Brit Katie Boulter View Profile , this past week's San Diego champion, in the second round.
On the other side of the first quarter, No.6 seed Ons Jabeur View Profile and No.10 seed Jelena Ostapenko View Profile 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.
And Jabeur could face the player she lost to at this year's Australian Open, 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva View Profile , in the second round. Andreeva was last season's WTA Newcomer of the Year.
Whoever comes out of the Jabeur/Andreeva section might meet 2011 Indian Wells champion Caroline Wozniacki View Profile in the third round. But if former World No.1 Wozniacki wants to get that far, she first has to beat Zhu Lin and No.25 seed Donna Vekic View Profile back to back.
Second quarter
Defending champion Rybakina leads this quarter. Rybakina is this year's current match-win leader, with 17, including two titles.
Also in this section, No.13 seed Jasmine Paolini View Profile and No.21 seed Anna Kalinskaya View Profile would meet in the third round if seedings hold. That 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 View Profile is seeded No.7 at the other side of this quarter. Vondrousova will face either former Top 20 player Daria Saville View Profile or a qualifier in the second round.
Must-see viewing 🍿 @CocoGauff & @chris_eubanks96 shared the practice court together 😎 #TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/ZruRXc5NLN
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Third quarter
Reigning US Open champion and No.3 seed Coco Gauff View Profile will meet either Clara Burel View Profile of France or Wang Xiyu of China in the second round.
Gauff could possibly face 2018 Indian Wells champion Naomi Osaka View Profile in the Round of 16. Former World No.1 Osaka, who won her first career title at this event six years ago, will play a qualifier in the first round. If Osaka wins that match, she will meet No.14 seed Liudmila Samsonova View Profile in the second round.
On the opposite side of this section, Zheng Qinwen resides as the No.8 seed. Chinese No.1 Zheng reached her first Grand Slam final earlier this year at the 2024 Australian Open. She could face her compatriot Yuan Yue, last week's Austin champion, in the second round.
If seedings hold, Zheng would take on former World No.1 Victoria Azarenka View Profile in the third round. No.27 seed Azarenka is a two-time Indian Wells champion, capturing the title in 2012 and 2016.
The couple that trains together 💪❤️ @Gael_Monfils & @ElinaSvitolina | #TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/kAC36g55ZW
— BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) March 4, 2024
Fourth quarter
Last year's finalist Sabalenka sits at the bottom of the draw as the No.2 seed. Sabalenka, who successfully defended her Australian Open title earlier this season, will play either Elisabetta Cocciaretto View Profile or Peyton Stearns View Profile in the second round.
2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu View Profile or this year's Australian Open semifinalist Dayana Yastremska View Profile are possible third-round opponents for Sabalenka. Raducanu will play a qualifier in the first round, with the winner of that match to take on No.30 seed Yastremska.
No.16 seed Elina Svitolina View Profile could be a Round of 16 opponent for the player who comes out of that section. Svitolina will be seeking her first Indian Wells match-win since 2021; she lost in her opening match in 2022, then missed last year's edition during her maternity leave.
In the other portion of this quarter, No.5 seed Jessica Pegula View Profile and No.9 seed Maria Sakkari View Profile 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 semifinals last year.
