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Three US Open champions are in Section 1 of the Indian Wells Open draw and world No 1 Iga Swiatek and Bianca Andreescu could meet as early as the third round while Emma Raducanu faces a familiar rival.
The top 32 seeds enjoy byes into the second round and reigning US Open champion and top seed Swiatek takes either Claire Liu or Alison van Uytvanck in the second round while she could face Andreescu in the third round. Thirty-second seed Andreescu, who won the US Open in 2019, faces wildcard Peyton Stearns or a qualifier in her opener.
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Tennis3652021 US Open winner Raducanu, who is currently 77th in the WTA Rankings, opens her account against Danka Kovinic, who defeated her in the second round of the 2022 Australian Open.
The winner of the Raducanu-Kovinic clash will face 20th seed Magda Linette in the second round while 13th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia is a projected third-round opponent.
If the seedings hold, then Swiatek is expected to meet Haddad Maia in the fourth round while the winner of that clash could meet fifth seed Caroline Garcia in the quarter-final.
Garcia’s first big challenge could come from 2021 US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez in the third round while 12th seed Liudmila Samsonova is a projected fourth-round opponent.
Third seed Ons Jabeur, who has not played since the Australian Open due to injury, is the headline act in Section 3 and she takes on either Maryna Zanevska or Lauren Davis in the second round. Fourteenth seed Victoria Azarenka is her biggest challenger in the bracket.
Eighth seed Daria Kasatkina and 10th seed Elena Rybakina are on a collision course in Section 4, although the latter will face either Sloane Stephens or Sofia Kenin in the second round while 2021 Indian Wells Open champion Paula Badosa is likely to be a third-round opponent.
Australian Open champion and second seed Aryna Sabalenka headlines the bottom half and she opens up against either Evgeniya Rodina or Alize Cornet while her first big challenger will likely be 16th seed Barbora Krejcikova in the fourth round. Krejcikova defeated Rybankina en route to winning the Dubai title last month.
The winner of that section is projected to meet Coco Gauff in the quarter-final, but the sixth seeded American – who faces a qualifier in round two – will likely have to get past 31st seed Amanda Anisimova in the third round and ninth seed Belinda Bencic in the fourth round.
Should things go according to the seedings, then the winner of the Sabalenka-Gauff clash will face either third seed Jessica Pegula or seventh seed Maria Sakkari in the semi-final.
Pegula, though, could face either 15th Petra Kvitova or 24th seed Jelena Ostapenko in the fourth round while Sakkari will in all likelihood have to get past 11th seed Veronika Kudermetova in the fourth round.
Source:Tennis 365