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 tour's 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.
READ: 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, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula are the Top 4 seeds. pic.twitter.com/CNFBeuQCFF
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) March 4, 2025
First quarter
Top seeds: [1] Aryna Sabalenka, [6] Jasmine Paolini, [12] Daria Kasatkina, [16] Beatriz Haddad Maia
Notable first rounds: Sloane Stephens vs. Sofia Kenin, Anna Blinkova vs. McCartney Kessler
The story of the 2025 WTA season so far has been the surprises. The three biggest tournaments have crowned inspired and unexpected champions. Madison Keys scored a seismic upset at the Australian Open over No. 1 Sabalenka to win her maiden major, and in the Middle East it was Mirra Andreeva and Amanda Anisimova 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.
Second quarter
Top seeds: [3] Coco Gauff, [5] Madison Keys, [10] Emma Navarro, [13] Diana Shnaider
Notable first rounds: Emma Raducanu vs. Moyuka Uchijima, Belinda Bencic vs. Tatjana Maria
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 took it home 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 USA 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 or Moyuka Uchijima in the second round. Anisimova could face a particularly tough opener if Abu Dhabi champion Bencic gets past Tatjana Maria in the first round.
Third quarter
Top seeds: [4] Jessica Pegula, [7] Elena Rybakina, [9] Mirra Andreeva, [14] Danielle Collins
Notable first rounds: Camila Osorio vs. Naomi Osaka, Petra Kvitova vs. Varvara Gracheva
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.
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 in the first round. Now she'll take on Varvara Gracheva, with the winner to face Andreeva.
Fourth quarter
Top seeds: [2] Iga Swiatek, [8] Zheng Qinwen, [11] Paula Badosa, [15] Karolina Muchova
Notable first rounds: Caroline Garcia vs. Bernarda Pera
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, who opens against Bernarda Pera. Ons Jabeur could be waiting in the third round.
This section also sees Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, who will be reunited with her coach Pere Riba. The Spaniard has been sidelined since November due to 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 in the second round.
