Simona Halep
Simona Halep | Jimmie48 Tennis Photography

WTA Indian Wells BNP Paribas Open 2018 | Latest Tennis Schedules & Draws

By Britwatch Team

  • Top Seeds: Simona Halep, Caroline Wozniacki, Garbiñe Muguruza, Elina Svitolna
  • Defending Champion: Elena Svitolina
  • British Interest: Johanna Konta, Heather Watson, Naomi Broady (Qualifying)
  • CLICK our featured players for stats from TennisAbstract
INDIAN WELLS, USA – While an Australian Open showdown between Simona Halep and Caroline Wozniacki, not to mention the race for World No. 1 is on the cards, all eyes will be on Serena Williams‘ tour comeback.

 

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Draw & Results

Tournament Website

Order of Play

Singles

Doubles

Qualifying

 

[1] Simona Halep

The 2015 champion returned to the top spot after briefly losing it to Caroline Wozniacki, and is the top seed at Indian Wells for the first time. With not that much to defend after a third round exit last year, if Halep reaches the title, she will keep the top spot.

However the foot injury she sustained in Australia has caused her issues. To make the Australian open final after rolling her ankle in her opener in Melbourne was remarkable enough, but her run to the quarter-final in Doha came at a price with her pulling out of her semi-final and having to skip Dubai the week after.

It is not the easiest of paths for the Romanian – she could potentially face a more resurgent Dominika Cibulkova in the third round, against whom she trails in their head to head. She also trails her potential fourth round foe in Kristina Mladenovic – who seemed to have snapped her poor run of form.

 

[2] Caroline Wozniacki

Caroline Wozniacki © Jimmie48 Tennis Photography

The race to regain the World No. 1 spot is on, but defending semi-final points puts the pressure on the Dane. While she gamely went to St Petersburg straight from winning her maiden Slam at the Australian Open, she had a better run in Doha, losing a gritty semi-final to Petra Kvitova.

She will have to reach the final to have a chance of regaining the top spot, and if Halep wins her opener, Wozniacki will have to win the title.

She is pretty evenly matched against her potential third round opponent, Anett Kontaveit, and while Sloane Stephens also managed to snap her losing streak earlier, Wozniacki’s head to head over the American should see her progress to the quarter-finals for a potential clash against either Caroline Garcia or Angelique Kerber.

 

[3] Garbiñe Muguruza

Garbine Muguruza | WTA Finals, Singapore 2017
Garbine Muguruza of Spain in action during the first round-robin group match at the 2017 WTA Finals tennis tournament

The post Australian Open phase of proceedings has been a little more consistent for the Spaniard, whose start to the year was hampered by early injury. The final in Doha and semi-final in Dubai have been a bit more of a highlight, as it feels like her season has finally got started.

She has a surprisingly even head to head with her potential third round opponent in Agnieszka Radwanska, who has not exactly set the world alight this year, but at least seems to be getting a little more consistency compared to her struggles last year.

Round four could see her face Ashleigh Barty who has not been in action since the Australian Open. More was perhaps expected of the feisty Aussie in her home Slam and he pair have split their head to head with one win apiece.

The quarter-final could see her face an impressive Petra Kvitova, or Karolina Pliskova in the quarter-finals – neither of which are player she enjoys coming up against.

 

[4] Elina Svitolina

Elina Svitolina in the fourth round of the Australian Open 2018 | (SAEED KHAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Fresh from defending her title in Dubai and stopping the lucrative Tie Break Tens in New York, Svitolina arrives as probably the most in-form player of the tournament.

Yet this has not been a tournament that has served her well, with never having progressed further than the fourth round.

She is likely to get past Carla Suárez Navarro but Madison Keys in the Round of 16 could well stop her from advancing again, having never lost to the Ukrainian.

The BNP Paribas Open take place between 8-18 March – (GMT -8 hours).