Set in the scenic California desert in Indian Wells, with top-notch facilities, the tournament has been voted the tennis players' favorite of the year. It is often referred to as the "fifth slam" for being the biggest tournament outside the four majors. The intimate, more laid-back experience is unique, with fans able to get within shouting distance of Naomi Osaka or Aryna Sabalenka as they practice or stretch out on the idyllic grass lawn.
The BNP Paribas Open Round of 16 on March 10 features two matches at Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, California on hard courts. The headline matchup showcases No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka versus No. 16 Naomi Osaka at 1:00 PM ET, with Talia Gibson facing Jasmine Paolini in the second match.
I think she's coming back. I don't know. I haven't spoken to her, but I guess the sentiment is that she's coming back. Where and how, singles, doubles, we don't know, and if I'm in her position, I would hide it too. Yeah, everybody is excited, and it's definitely something that's very highly anticipated.
I want to come back to my natural way of playing. That takes time to relearn because that's something that has been coached out of me a little bit. I have had a lot of people telling me what to do, how to play, and it hasn't necessarily fit.
In response, she said: Yeah, I mean, I was born in America so I'm always proud to represent my country; and yeah, a lot of us are doing really well and it's great to see a lot of, you know, great athletes on the women's side, on the men's side. So yeah, I feel like we're all doing a great job representing ourselves.
Emma Raducanu's hopes of a smoother Australian Open run have been dashed by another potential third-round match against world number one Aryna Sabalenka. British number one Raducanu is seeded at a major for the first time since the 2022 US Open but has been pitted against the top seed at the earliest opportunity. The 23-year-old will face Thailand's Mananchaya Sawangkaew in her opening match, with Austria's Anastasia Potopova or Suzan Lamens of the Netherlands waiting in the second round.
On a Wednesday in the desert last March, Reilly Opelka, the American with a cannon of a serve, was grinding out a tough match against French number one Arthur Rinderknech. Nearby, former US Open men's finalist Kei Nishikori beat Luca Nardi, part of the new wave of Italian talent, while Brazilian phenom Joao Fonseca closed out Pavel Kotov, who reached number 50 in the world in 2024.
Over the next 12 months the capital will host a vast range of sporting events, truly living up to its rep as the planet's greatest city for sport. Those events will include notable firsts, like Wembley hosting its first ever college American football game) and the inaugural rugby union Nations Championship finals, plus important returns, such as NBA at the O2 and tennis' Laver Cup. In September London will become the first city to have ever hosted the Laver twice.
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