Indian Wells 411: Everything to know about the 2026 BNP Paribas Open
The first leg of the WTA 1000 of the Sunshine Double on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz is just a few days away with the 2026 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.
The entire Top 10 in the PIF WTA Rankings will be in the mix at Indian Wells, including reigning champion Mirra Andreeva. Plus, notable names like World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, Naomi Osaka and Madison Keys are set to make their first appearances since the Australian Open.
From dates, draws, seeds and prize money, here is everything to know about the BNP Paribas Open:
What are the dates for each round?
Main-draw matches from Indian Wells will begin on Wednesday, March 4 and end with the singles final on Sunday, March 15. Here are the scheduled dates for each of the draws:
Singles
Qualifiers: March. 1-3
First round: March 4-5
Second round: March 6-7
Third round: March 8-9
Fourth round: March 10-11
Quarterfinals: March 12
Semifinals: March 13
Final: March 15
Doubles
First round: March 5-7
Second round: March 8-9
Quarterfinals: March 10-11
Semifinals: March 12
Final: March 14
What are the draws, top seeds and notable wild cards?
In singles, there is a 96-player draw, featuring 76 direct entrants, 12 qualifiers and eight wild cards. For doubles, there is a 32-team draw. The main draw will be released closer to the tournament's start on March 2, with a full breakdown to come on wtatennis.com
Based on the PIF WTA Rankings, Sabalenka will headline the field as the top seed, followed by Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula to round out highest five seeds. There will be 32 seeded players at the event that will receive byes into the second round. The full player list, subject to change, can be found here.
Seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams received a wild card for the event for both singles and doubles. She'll partner Leylah Fernandez, and together, they had a run to the quarterfinals at last year's US Open. In 2026 through four tournaments, Williams still seeks to notch her first singles win of the 2026 season.
Additional wild cards will be announced closer to the tournament.
Who is the defending champion?
World No. 8 Mirra Andreeva won the second of back-to-back WTA 1000 titles last year at the BNP Paribas Open, defeating Sabalenka 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 a few weeks after she won the title in Dubai. Then-ranked No. 11, Andreeva became the youngest player in the past 40 years to defeat World No. 1 (Sabalenka) and No. 2 (Swiatek) in a WTA event, and she became the third youngest Indian Wells champion after Martina Hingis (1998) and Serena Williams (1999).
The win at Indian Wells marked her third title on the WTA Tour, but with a recent win at the Adelaide International in January, she now has four trophies. She'll play her first tournament since reaching the quarterfinals at this year's Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
What are the ranking points and prize money at stake?
At Indian Wells, 1,000 points will be available for both singles and doubles. Based on how far a player or team advances, below is the prize money in USD and rankings points earned for reaching that round. A total prize pool of $9,415,725 will be available at the BNP Paribas Open.
Singles (ranking points | prize money)
First round: 10 | $24,334
Second round: 35 | $36,110
Third round: 65 | $61,865
Fourth round: 120 | $105,720
Quarterfinal: 215 | $193,645
Semifinal: 390 | $340,190
Finalist: 650 | $612,340
Champion: 1000 | $1,151,380
Doubles (ranking points | prize money)
First round: 10 | $19,510
Second round: 120 | $35,700
Quarterfinal: 215 | $66,570
Semifinal: 390 | $133,110
Finalist: 650 | $247,870
Champion: 1000 | $468,200