Indian Wells draw: Gauff eyes potential opener vs. Raducanu
The draw is out for the Hologic WTA Tour's third WTA 1000 event of the year, where the best players in the world have descended on the BNP Paribas Open in search of one of the most prized trophies. The weather has been cool in the Southern California desert, but it won't take long for things to heat up this week in Indian Wells.
Everything you need to know about Indian Wells 2025
Main-draw play begins on Wednesday, March 5 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. The first round will be played across the first two days of the tournament. The Top 32 seeds have received first-round byes.
Main draw at Indian Wells (WTA 1000), where Aryna Sabalenka View Profile , Iga Swiatek View Profile , Coco Gauff View Profile and Jessica Pegula View Profile are the Top 4 seeds. pic.twitter.com/CNFBeuQCFF
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) March 4, 2025
First quarter
Top seeds: [1] Aryna Sabalenka View Profile , [6] Jasmine Paolini View Profile , [12] Daria Kasatkina View Profile , [16] Beatriz Haddad Maia View Profile
Notable first rounds: Sloane Stephens vs. Sofia Kenin View Profile , Anna Blinkova View Profile vs. McCartney Kessler
The story of the 2025 WTA season has been the surprises. The three biggest tournaments have crowned inspired and unexpected champions. Madison Keys View Profile scored a seismic upset at the Australian Open over No. 1 Sabalenka to win her first major title, and in the Middle East it was Mirra Andreeva View Profile and Amanda Anisimova View Profile joining the ranks of WTA 1000 champions.
Can the top seeds wrench back control in California?
Top seed Sabalenka leads the first quarter and will open against either Austin finalist McCartney Kessler or Anna Blinkova View Profile .
Second quarter
Top seeds: [3] Coco Gauff View Profile , [5] Madison Keys View Profile , [10] Emma Navarro View Profile , [13] Diana Shnaider View Profile
Notable first rounds: Emma Raducanu View Profile vs. Moyuka Uchijima View Profile , Belinda Bencic View Profile vs. Tatjana Maria View Profile
It's been an outstanding start to the year for the American contingent. Gauff led things off by leading Team USA to the United Cup title, Keys won in Adelaide and Melbourne, Anisimova was the standout in Doha, and Pegula and Navarro come into Indian Wells fresh off titles in Austin and Merida, respectively. The result? The U.S. holds three of the Top 5 spots on the PIF WTA Rankings.
Gauff, Keys, Navarro and Anisimova have all landed in the second quarter of the draw. It is Keys' first tournament since winning the Australian Open in January.
Gauff will face either 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu View Profile or Moyuka Uchijima View Profile in the second round. Anisimova could face a particularly tough opener if Abu Dhabi champion Bencic gets past Tatjana Maria View Profile in the first round.
Third quarter
Top seeds: [4] Jessica Pegula View Profile , [7] Elena Rybakina View Profile , [9] Mirra Andreeva View Profile , [14] Danielle Collins View Profile
Notable first rounds: Camila Osorio View Profile vs. Naomi Osaka View Profile , Petra Kvitova vs. Varvara Gracheva View Profile
Fresh off a confident run to her first title of the year in Austin, Pegula leads the third quarter along with 2023 champion Rybakina and Dubai champion Andreeva.
The intrigue in this quarter lies in two first-round duels. 2018 champion and former No. 1 Osaka is playing her first tournament since the Australian Open, where she retired from her third-round match against Bencic with an abdominal injury. She's drawn a quality opponent in Colombia's gritty and athletic Osorio. The winner of that match will face Dubai finalist Clara Tauson View Profile .
Petra Kvitova last played Indian Wells in 2023 and the fan-favorite Czech is back for the first time since her maternity leave. Kvitova nearly won her comeback match last week in Austin, falling in three sets to Jodie Burrage View Profile in the first round. Now she'll take on Varvara Gracheva View Profile , with the winner to face Andreeva.
Fourth quarter
Top seeds: [2] Iga Swiatek View Profile , [8] Zheng Qinwen, [11] Paula Badosa View Profile , [15] Karolina Muchova View Profile
Notable first rounds: Caroline Garcia View Profile vs. Bernarda Pera View Profile
The last quarter features defending champion Swiatek, who is trying to become the first woman to win Indian Wells three times. She could see a tricky opener against France's Caroline Garcia View Profile , who opens against Bernarda Pera View Profile . Ons Jabeur View Profile could be waiting in the third round.
This section also sees Olympic champion Zheng, who will be reunited with Pere Riba. The Spanish coach has been sidelined since November after undergoing surgery but is set to rejoin the team this week. That's good news for Zheng, who has struggled to find her form and momentum to start the year. She could face two-time champion Victoria Azarenka View Profile in the second round.
