Howdy, y’all and Happy Tennis Tuesday! The WTA Tour continues the (first) hardcourt season of the year with the Sunshine Double. The Sunshine Double consists of back-to-back two-week WTA 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells, California and Miami, Florida, respectively. First up is the BNP Paribas Open, regarded by players and fans as the “fifth Grand Slam,” offering both players and fans an incredible experience in the Palm Desert area. There’s not many places you can order sushi from Nobu and then catch an up-close practice of your favorite player. It’s definitely the one tournament I’m itching to check out in-person.
Indian Wells, to me, really kicks off the meat of the entire season. We’ve seen with Doha and Dubai that so many players prefer to rest or train following the Australian swing and not long after Miami, they’re attacking the European clay. Of course, being one of the Premier Mandatory events helps build a stacked player field and draw. Speaking of, the draw was released yesterday so we’re going to break down a few first round matchups, players to look out for and my infamous predictions.
First-rounders:
Eva Lys vs. Caty McNally: Eva Lys is returning for the first time since hyperextending her knee in Australia, while Caty McNally is continuing her comeback from elbow surgery. This is a fun match to watch because both rely more on their shotmaking versus raw power. Both possess quite the toolbox at their disposal, but I’d even argue that McNally has more/better variety of the two. The gritty hardcourt and desert air, with these two gamers, has three sets written all over it.
(WC) Venus Williams vs. Qualifier: Since rejoining the tour this summer, Venus Williams has only won on match — her first one in Washington D.C. against Peyton Stearns. She’s had numerous three-set losses or she’s been able to battle for a close first set before losing. Getting a qualifier can be both a blessing and a curse, but one thing that’s certain is that she will draw in the crowd which sometimes can be the biggest intangible.
Yulia Putintseva vs. Paula Badosa: Honestly, both could use a win but many eyes will be on Badosa, the 2021 champion. This is where her career really catapulted the Spaniard to the top of the game and she now sits just outside of the Top 100. Can she reverse the years of injury struggles with a deep run? The winner will then face off against No. 17 Clara Tauson.
Now, how will the draw unfold. At the top is World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who is a two-time finalist in the desert with quite the draw. She can face No. 16 and 2018 champion Naomi Osaka in the fourth round, then No. 6 Amanda Anisimova in the quarterfinals before a No. 4 Coco Gauff in the semifinals. No. 2 Iga Swiatek was given a kinder draw but could have trouble against a resurgent No. 9 Elina Svitolina or reigning champion No. 8 Mirra Andreeva. 2023 champion and No. 3 seed Elena Rybakina is only defending third round points, so a deep run could lift her to a career-high ranking of No. 2.
The tennis in Indian Wells is unlike much on the tour because of it’s location in the desert. The wind is perhaps the toughest opponent for all of the players and the hardcourts are so slow (and in my opinion, too slow). A bit of the tennis will be ugly and long, but the tournament still produces some insane tennis and, usually, a Cinderella run. Though, I will argue that we won’t see another Osaka, a 2019 Bianca Andreescu run or a repeat of Mirra Andreeva from last year. Lets break down how I think the draw will unfold.
Round of 16
(1) Aryna Sabalenka def. (18) Iva Jovic
(6) Amanda Anisimova def. (10) Victoria Mboko
(4) Coco Gauff def. (21) Diana Shnaider
(7) Jasmine Paolini def. (11) Ekaterina Alexandrova
(5) Jessica Pegula def. (12) Belinda Bencic
(3) Elena Rybakina def. (15) Madison Keys
(9) Elina Svitolina def. (8) Mirra Andreeva
(2) Iga Swiatek def. (13) Karolina Muchova
Quarterfinals
(1) Aryna Sabalenka def. (6) Amanda Anisimova
(4) Coco Gauff def. (7) Jasmine Paolini
(3) Elena Rybakina def. (5) Jessica Pegula
(2) Iga Swiatek def. (9) Elina Svitolina
Semi-Finals
(1) Aryna Sabalenka def. (4) Coco Gauff
(3) Elena Rybakina def. (2) Iga Swiatek
Final
(1) Aryna Sabalenka def. (3) Elena Rybakina
Honestly, a little bit of a boring prediction but I think Aryna Sabalenka will finally claim her first BNP Paribas Open. Elena Rybakina has been too hot lately to suffer an early loss and I think the conditions suit both players fairly well. A few potentials that could really shake this up:
– The fourth section with Jasmine Paolini and Ekaterina Alexandrova. That section is one to look out for if you’re looking for a possible Cinderella run.
– Third-round upsets: No. 18 Iva Jovic vs. No. 16 Naomi Osaka, No. 22 Elise Mertens vs. No. 12 Belinda Bencic, No. 13 Karolina Muchova vs. No. 24 Zheng Qinwen
Per usual, take these with a grain of salt but until then, on to links!
This Week in Women’s Tennis
Memphis is returning to the WTA calendar for the first time since 2013, replacing Cleveland’s sanction.
Cristina Bucsa had a dream week at the WTA 500 Merida Open, sweeping both the singles and doubles events. The Spaniard won her first WTA singles title with a win over Magdalena Frech, then partnered with Jiang Xinyu to defeat Isabelle Haverlag and Maia Lumsden.
Returning to the area where she guided the University of Texas to two NCAA championships alongside a singles title, Peyton Stearns captured the ATX Open with a victory over Taylor Townsend. Though Townsend fell in her first WTA singles final, she rebounded to win the doubles title with Storm Hunter over Eudice Chong and Liang En-shuo.
Craig Tiley was formally announced as the USTA’s new CEO after months of speculation.
For players like Storm Hunter and Taylor Townsend, it’s a fine line being among the top doubles players in the world and still trying to find success in singles.
Vera Zvonareva is finding success at 41 following another comeback, but she doesn’t have any specific goals but is enjoying the process one day at a time.
Alycia Parks gave some BTS of her hit with Serena Williams:
Richsport is collaborating with Head for a limited drop that’s debuting this week at Indian Wells.
Iva Jovic was once asking for autographs at Indian Wells, while a year ago, Victoria Mboko hadn’t even made her WTA main draw debut. Now, they’re among the next wave of players to look out for.
Congratulations to Camila Giorgi, who shared she’s married and expecting her first child:
Reese Brantmeier’s lawsuit against the NCAA regarding player prize money is reportedly nearing a settlement.
If you’re in Miami in a couple of weeks, be sure to check out a live taping of The Player’s Box podcast.
WME is hoping representing top tennis influencers will pay off over the long-term.
Tweet of the Week
Love this throwback from Austin champion Peyton Stearns. Sometimes it’s always in the cards
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