BNP Paribas Open: Rybakina Returns, Swiatek Seeks Reset, and Andreeva Defends Title in Stellar Second Round Showdown

INDIAN WELLS – The BNP Paribas Open is set for an exhilarating second-round Saturday, featuring the champions of the three most prestigious titles on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz. The matchups include:

• Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina facing Hailey Baptiste.
• Dubai 1000 winner Jessica Pegula taking on wild card Donna Vekic.
• Doha 1000 titleholder Karolina Muchova competing against Anna Bondar.

Adding to the excitement, three 500-level winners— Iga Swiatek, Mirra Andreeva, and Cristina Bucsa—will also be in action, marking a remarkable day with 16 seeds from the bottom half of the draw making their tournament debuts.

Rybakina, the reigning champion at this event, described the desert conditions as “quite slow.” Despite this, she has managed to achieve an impressive 11-3 record at this venue, bolstered by her tour-leading 101 aces, which consistently positions her as a formidable opponent.

“Rallies are a little bit longer,” Rybakina stated. “It’s not easy to get these short points, free points. So you need to work for each point.”

Swiatek Looks for a Reset

While Rybakina favors faster surfaces, No. 2 seed Iga Swiatek thrives on the slower pace of play at Indian Wells, which allows her more time to maneuver. She aims for her third BNP Paribas Open title in five years and boasts a remarkable 22-3 record at this tournament, with a winning percentage of .880, second only to Steffi Graf’s .895.

Swiatek will face qualifier Kayla Day, who advanced after a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Francesca Jones in the first round. This will be their first encounter. Swiatek has won 32 consecutive opening matches in WTA 1000 events and an impressive 72 straight matches in all WTA competitions.

Swiatek, with a current record of 9-4 this year, expressed her desire to improve her performance. “For sure, the results haven’t been what I would wish for, because most of the tournaments I lost somewhere around quarterfinals,” she noted. “I’m not putting too much pressure on myself, and I feel like I can really lower the expectations and just focus on the work and see how it’s going to go.”

Andreeva Eyes a Rare Repeat

Mirra Andreeva, the defending champion and the third youngest winner at Indian Wells since Martina Hingis and Serena Williams, is still just 18 years old. Last year, she made history by winning back-to-back 1000 events in Dubai and Indian Wells. Recently, she expressed excitement rather than pressure about her title defense.

“Here is the same thing,” Andreeva remarked. “I’m just so excited to be here as a defending champion, see my photos almost everywhere in every corner.”

Andreeva will compete against Solana Sierra, who triumphed over Austin Open champion Peyton Stearns with a score of 7-5, 7-5. Andreeva aims to become only the second woman to win consecutive titles at this event, following Martina Navratilova’s victories in 1990-91.

30-Something Sensations

Against all odds, several players in their 30s are showcasing some of the best tennis of their careers. No. 5 seed Jessica Pegula, at 32, holds a strong record of 13-2 after her victory in Dubai. No. 9 Elina Svitolina, aged 31, has an impressive 15-3 record, including a title in Auckland and a semifinal appearance in Melbourne, leading all WTA Tour players in match wins.

Pegula, who has a 2-0 advantage over wild card Donna Vekic, is aiming for her eighth consecutive semifinal. Meanwhile, Svitolina will face Laura Siegemund, who recently celebrated her 38th birthday and won her first-round match against Petra Marcinko with a score of 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Svitolina, who has previously defeated Siegemund, will be competing in her 29th main-draw match at this venue, second only to Venus Williams’ 30.

An Unqualified Success

In a remarkable turn of events, six qualifiers from the bottom half of the draw advanced to the second round, with four of them facing higher-ranked opponents. Taylor Townsend, a mother who turns 30 next month, has shown remarkable resilience after reaching the singles and doubles finals last week in Austin. She has also won two qualifying matches and her first-round match against Marie Bouzkova.

“I feel really great, actually,” Townsend stated after her victory. With her ranking having improved from No. 119 to the Top 100, a win over No. 28 Marta Kostyuk could propel her into the Top 75.

Diane Parry, who defeated Venus Williams in a three-set match, is set to face No. 15 Madison Keys. Storm Hunter, who came back to win against Magdalena Frech, will meet No. 12 Belinda Bencic.

BNP Paribas Open — Order of Play

Saturday, March 7

Stadium 1

Start: 11:00 a.m.

• Hailey Baptiste vs. [3] Elena Rybakina

Not before 1:00 p.m.

• [3] Novak Djokovic vs. Kamil Majchrzak
• [1] Carlos Alcaraz vs. Grigor Dimitrov

Not before 6:00 p.m.

• [5] Jessica Pegula vs. Donna Vekic
• [11] Daniil Medvedev vs. Alejandro Tabilo

Stadium 2

Start: 11:00 a.m.

• Roberto Bautista Agut vs. [14] Jack Draper

Not before 1:00 p.m.

• Kayla Day vs. [2] Iga Swiatek
• [8] Mirra Andreeva vs. Solana Sierra

Not before 6:00 p.m.

• Jacob Fearnley vs. [7] Taylor Fritz

Not before 8:00 p.m.

• Laura Siegemund vs. [9] Elina Svitolina

Stadium 3

Start: 11:00 a.m.

• Alexander Shevchenko vs. [13] Casper Ruud
• [16] Karen Khachanov vs. Joao Fonseca
• Sebastian Korda vs. [6] Alex de Minaur
• [15] Madison Keys vs. Diane Parry
• [28] Marta Kostyuk vs. Taylor Townsend

Stadium 4

Start: 11:00 a.m.

• [32] Maria Sakkari vs. Lilli Tagger
• Sonay Kartal vs. [20] Emma Navarro
• Katerina Siniakova vs. [27] Leylah Fernandez

Not before 3:00 p.m.

• [10] Alexander Bublik vs. [LL] Vit Kopriva
• [32] Ugo Humbert vs. Alex Michelsen

Stadium 5

Start: 11:00 a.m.

• [19] Francisco Cerundolo vs. [Q] Benjamin Bonzi
• [24] Valentin Vacherot vs. Nuno Borges
• Juan Manuel Cerundolo vs. [26] Arthur Rinderknech
• [Q] Rinky Hijikata vs. [20] Luciano Darderi

Stadium 6

Start: 11:00 a.m.

• Aleksandar Kovacevic vs. [31] Corentin Moutet
• [17] Andrey Rublev vs. Gabriel Diallo
• [27] Cameron Norrie vs. [Q] Mackenzie McDonald
• Alexandra Eala / Iva Jovic vs. Hailey Baptiste / Jelena Ostapenko

Not before 5:00 p.m.

• Sebastian Baez vs. [22] Jiri Lehecka

Stadium 7

Start: 11:00 a.m.

• Storm Hunter vs. [12] Belinda Bencic
• Katie Volynets vs. [26] Jelena Ostapenko
• Storm Hunter / Maya Joint vs. [8] Ellen Perez / Demi Schuurs
• [22] Elise Mertens vs. Cristina Bucsa

Stadium 9

Start: 11:00 a.m.

• [13] Karolina Muchova vs. Anna Bondar
• [19] Liudmila Samsonova vs. Ashlyn Krueger

Not before 3:00 p.m.

• Antonia Ruzic vs. [24] Qinwen Zheng
• Ingrid Neel / Peyton Stearns vs. Miyu Kato / Fanny Stollar
• Ulrikke Eikeri / Xinyu Jiang vs. [2] Gabriela Dabrowski / Luisa Stefani

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Published on 2026-03-07 10:51:00 • By FAME Delivered News Desk