The Hologic WTA Tour heads to Tennis Paradise this coming week for the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, the third WTA 1000 event of the year.

The world's best players will travel to the desert for the 36th edition of the prestigious outdoor hard-court event, with over 8.9 million dollars in total prize money up for grabs.

Main-draw play at the two-week event will start on Wednesday, March 6, kicking off the Sunshine Double -- four exciting weeks of WTA 1000 action in the United States. The Miami Open presented by Itaú will complete the Sunshine Double later this month.

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Here are the fast facts you need to know about the latest edition of the BNP Paribas Open -- and keep this post flagged for updates as the tournament gets even closer:

Indian Wells: Draws | Scores | Order of play

Main-Draw Start Date: Wednesday, March 6
Singles Final: Sunday, March 16 at 11 a.m.
Doubles Final: Saturday, March 15 at 11 a.m.
Qualifying Dates: Sunday, March 2 - Tuesday, March 4
Main-Draw Ceremony: Monday, March 3 at 3 p.m.
Singles Main-Draw Size: 96 players (including 12 qualifiers and 8 wild cards, with first-round byes for the 32 seeded players)
Doubles Main-Draw Size: 32 teams
Time Zone: Pacific Standard Time (GMT -8, EST -3)
Tournament Ball: Penn Tour Regular Duty

And here are some pivotal storylines to keep an eye on in California:

  • Defending champion Iga Swiatek has been the dominant force in Indian Wells over the last three years. She won the title in 2022, made the semifinals in 2023, and regained the title last year, posting a 16-1 win-loss record during that time frame.
  • Swiatek is also the most recent woman to complete the Sunshine Double, winning Indian Wells and Miami back-to-back in 2022. Other players who have completed the Sunshine Double are Stefanie Graf (1994 and 1996), Kim Clijsters (2005) and Victoria Azarenka (2016).
  • Elena Rybakina is the only player to beat Swiatek at Indian Wells in the last three years, besting the Pole in the 2023 semis en route to the title. Rybakina very nearly pulled off the Sunshine Double in 2023, but fell at the very last hurdle, losing to Petra Kvitova in the Miami final.
  • World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is aiming for her first Indian Wells singles title -- she was the runner-up to Rybakina in 2023. Having said that, Sabalenka is a former Indian Wells doubles champion -- in fact, she and Elise Mertens pulled off the Sunshine Double in doubles in 2019.
  • Madison Keys will be contesting her first event since she won her first Grand Slam title at the 2025 Australian Open. Keys enters Indian Wells on a 12-match winning streak after consecutive titles in Adelaide and Melbourne.
  • Will this be the first WTA 1000 event of the season to be won by a Top 10 player? 2025's first two WTA 1000 titles were won by Amanda Anisimova in Doha (ranked No. 41 at the time) and Mirra Andreeva in Dubai (ranked No. 14 that week). Andreeva made her Top 10 debut after winning that title.
  • Along with Swiatek, Rybakina and Azarenka, other former Indian Wells champions who are entered include Naomi Osaka (2018) and Paula Badosa (2021). Former finalists Daria Kasatkina (2018) and Maria Sakkari (2022 and 2024) are also on the entry list.
  • Azarenka will be making her 16th main-draw appearance in singles at Indian Wells. Since its inception in 1989, only Jelena Jankovic (16) has made as many women’s singles main-draw appearances at the tournament.
  • Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova is scheduled to come back to Indian Wells as a wild-card entrant. Kvitova, a three-time Indian Wells quarterfinalist, made her return from maternity leave this past week in Austin.

Indian Wells ranking points and prize money
First round: 10 points | $23,760
Second round: 35 points | $35,260
Third round: 65 points | $60,400
Round of 16: 120 points | $103,225
Quarterfinals: 215 points | $189,075
Semifinals: 390 points | $332,160
Finalist: 650 points | $597,890
Champion: 1000 points | $1,124,380

Stay tuned for more updates!