Paula Badosa, who won the biggest title of her career at Indian Wells four years ago, has withdrawn from this year's edition of the BNP Paribas Open due to a lower back injury.
Former World No. 2 Badosa, who has struggled with back issues in recent years, also retired midway through her quarterfinal match at last week's event in Merida due to a lower back injury.
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The consecutive withdrawals throw a wrench into a season which had an extremely promising start for Badosa. The Spaniard made her first-ever Grand Slam semifinal at the 2025 Australian Open and returned to the Top 10 for the first time since 2022.
Badosa's resurgence started last season, where she climbed nearly 100 spots in the rankings and was named the WTA Comeback Player of the Year.
2021 champion Paula Badosa has withdrawn due to a low back injury. Eva Lys takes her spot in the draw.
— BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) March 7, 2025
"I'm very sorry to withdraw from one of my favorite tournaments. I tried until the last moment to play. I am really sad & hopefully will be back next year!"#IndianWells
Badosa had her WTA 1000 breakthrough at Indian Wells in the autumn of 2021, when she won the title by besting two-time champion Victoria Azarenka in a third-set tiebreak in the championship match. That event propelled her to her Top 10 debut by the end of that year.
Badosa also made the 2022 semifinals in her Indian Wells title defense. She holds a 10-3 win-loss record in Indian Wells main-draw matches throughout her career.
World No. 78 Eva Lys of Germany will take Badosa's spot in the main draw as a lucky loser -- and with it, No. 11 seed Badosa's first-round bye. Lys will face American Caroline Dolehide in the second round.
Lys has already made waves as a lucky loser this year -- in January, she became the first lucky loser to reach the Australian Open Round of 16 in the Open Era. Lys made her Top 100 debut shortly thereafter and is now the German No. 1.
