INDIAN WELLS -- The stadium court at the BNP Paribas Open was already fully cloaked in shadows late Monday afternoon, but Aryna Sabalenka’s sharp, shrieking exhales -- they were far too piercing to be called grunts -- more than filled it up.
With only a handful of onlookers beyond her team, Sabalenka took savage cuts from the baseline, trying to gauge the impact of a significant gusting wind. She began to find her range toward the end of the practice session.
The World No. 1 began her season with 11 consecutive victories, but she’s looking to create some momentum here at Indian Wells. After taking the title in Brisbane and reaching the final at the Australian Open, Sabalenka has dropped three of four matches.
“It’s been like three years I couldn’t do well in Middle East,” Sabalenka said Tuesday during media day. “It’s a good problem to have, because I went really far at the Australian Open, so I was kind of like exhausted every time I’m in Middle East. February is not my month, I believe.”
The consequential loss was that final in Melbourne when, in a bid for her third consecutive title, Sabalenka fell in three sets to Madison Keys. Losses to Ekaterina Alexandrova (Doha) and Clara Tauson (Dubai) followed.
“That [final] was tough to accept, to be honest,” Sabalenka said. “It took me a week and maybe a little bit longer than that to stop thinking and to finally move on. I’d say that lesson's learned and it’s in the past. As an athlete you learn how to have a short memory, I’d say, and it’s actually pretty easy to do.”
Sabalenka has fashioned a sturdy 10-5 record at Indian Wells, reaching the 2023 final before losing to Elena Rybakina. What would it feel like to win here for the first time?
“[The] final I lost against Elena was also a tough match,” she said. “I felt like I kind of lost that match on my own. To win this trophy would mean a lot, because I had a lot of crazy experience here at Indian Wells, and I always wanted to win this tournament.”
Here are three additional storylines to watch for heading into Wednesday’s first-round matches:
Swiatek eyes an IW triple
Like Sabalenka, Swiatek lost to Keys in Melbourne (in the semifinals), but unlike her rival at the top of tennis she has yet to win a title this year. Believe it or not, the last one came nearly a year ago at Roland Garros -- her fifth and last of 2024.
Swiatek, though, has a history at Indian Wells -- a really good one. She’s the defending champion and is going for her third title in four years. With the tournament playing out its 36th edition, Swiatek would be the first to win three crowns. That would be saying something, since 10 women have won twice; Victoria Azarenka is the only other active player to do it, in 2012 and 2016.
Swiatek is a towering 18-2 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, the best winning percentage since 1989 for players with a minimum of 15 matches. It’s worth noting (no jinx intended) that the defending champion has never lost her opening match. Swiatek gets the winner of the first-round match between Caroline Garcia and wild card Bernarda Pera.
Speaking of which …
Second-round matches we can’t wait for
All 32 seeded players have a first-round bye, but look at these delicious potential second-round meetings:
No. 2 Iga Swiatek vs. Caroline Garcia: Swiatek has a 4-1 career edge, but the last two matches -- 2023 Beijing and the 2024 United Cup -- went three sets.
No. 3 Coco Gauff vs. Emma Raducanu: If Raducanu can get past Moyuka Uchijima, this could be fun. They’ve met only once, with Gauff winning their second-round match at the 2023 Australian Open.
No. 9 Mirra Andreeva vs. Petra Kvitova: Provided the returning Kvitova takes care of Varvara Gracheva, it would be Andreeva, 17, against a player twice her age. This is Kvitova’s 13th tour of duty in Indian Wells, and she’s made the quarterfinals three times, most recently in 2023. These two have never played.
No. 17 Amanda Anisimova vs. Belinda Bencic: Anisimova had a breakthrough win at the WTA Tour 1000 in Doha, and Bencic continues her successful comeback after maternity leave. Bencic, already ranked No. 58, must beat Tatjana Maria to get there. Anisimova has won two of three matches against Bencic, most recently three years ago in Rome.
No. 22 Clara Tauson vs. Naomi Osaka: This would be a heavyweight tilt, for sure. Tauson already has a title this year, taking the title by retirement in Auckland after Osaka lost the first set 6-4. First, Osaka -- a four-time Grand Slam singles champion -- must navigate her first-round match against Camila Osorio.
A faster surface
The tournament hasn’t even started and yet much is being made of an interesting tweak at the event sometimes called the fifth major.
The BNP Paribas Open has changed surface providers -- to Laykold from Plexipave. Laykold is the surface in play at the Miami Open and US Open since 2020.
“They’re a little bit faster, which is good for me, right?” Sabalenka said, smiling. “It feels good, feels good so far. I’ll tell you later after my first match. I hope I’ll still like it.”
Advantage, apparently, big hitters.
