The 2017 edition of the BNP Paribas Open (Indian Wells) is just around the corner. There’s no Maria Sharapova yet – she returns in April. Victoria Azarenka is still taking care of her newborn baby. Just about everyone else will be on hand in the California desert to contest this prestigious championship.
The competition in the 96-player main draw began on Thursday, March 9.
Event Details
Event: BNP Paribas Open (Indian Wells)
Category: WTA Premier Mandatory
Date: March 9 – 19, 2017
Location: Indian Wells Tennis Garden – Indian Wells, California
With a prize money allotment of just under $7 million, this is one of the crown jewel tournaments of the season. Big on money and big on rankings points, this is a huge chance for lower-level players to make the kind of money which can support more training and more support staffing during the season and, on a larger level, one’s career if previous earnings haven’t amounted to much. The points pickup opportunities are considerable. Anyone who wants to contend at Roland Garros or Wimbledon and is down in the rankings needs to use this tournament to begin a climb up the ladder.
Points
Champion – 1,000 points
Runner-up – 650
Semifinal – 390
Quarterfinal – 215
Round of 16 – 120
Round of 32 – 65
Former Champions and Results (5 Years)
Year Champion Runner-up Score
2016: Victoria Azarenka def. Serena Williams 6-4, 6-4
2015: Simona Halep def. Jelena Jankovic 2-6, 7-5, 6-4
2014: Flavia Pennetta def. Agnieszka Radwanska 6-2, 6-1
2013: Maria Sharapova def. Caroline Wozniacki 6-2, 6-2
2012: Victoria Azarenka def. Maria Sharapova 6-2, 6-3
Player Info:
Serena Williams wins most of the tournaments she is expected to win, but she spent more than a decade away from this tournament to protest unfair treatment by fans. She returned triumphantly and happily to Indian Wells after 14 years in 2015, making peace with the public and doing things off the court to promote social causes as a way of mending that rift.
While a right knee injury forced Serena to back out from her semifinal match against Simona Halep in 2015, she was totally outplayed by Victoria Azarenka in the finals last year. Azarenka won’t be around this year but there are legitimate threats in the draw. Can Serena go one step further and clinch the title? Judging by her Australian Open form, she is the safe bet.
Karolina Pliskova is world’s third best player in terms of rankings points, but importantly she is playing like a world No. 3, too. The talented Czech has already won two titles this year, and reached the quarterfinals in Melbourne, her career best showing at the first major. Pliskova also powered the Czech Republic past Spain to make the Fed Cup semifinals. She is looking hungrier than ever before. She is in scary good form and is fast mastering the art of consistency, which should make her ever even more dangerous in the California desert. Pliskova has beaten Serena on the biggest of stages in the U.S., and she won’t mind reminding her. Can she do it again?
Angelique Kerber had a dream 2016, and to back up that year in 2017 was always going to be a tall order. However, it has probably become more difficult than most expected. Kerber got dismantled by CoCo Vandeweghe in the fourth round of the Australian Open, and failed to make impact in any of the tournaments in Brisbane, Sydney or Doha. The German showed modest signs of improvement in Dubai, where she made the semifinals. Kerber will be the second seed in the WTA’s first mandatory event of the season, but she looks far from the player she was last year. The 2017 version of Kerber is susceptible to upsets and it wouldn’t shock many if she failed again.
Out of the blue, Venus Williams made the finals in Melbourne. Her golden run suggests she is not to be counted out of marquee events. Venus is 36 years old but her results suggest she is years younger. She hasn’t played much since and only made one appearance in St. Petersburg, where she bounced out in the opening round. The loss was more due to fatigue than anything else. Now that Venus has rested for more than a month, she should be ready to make her presence felt.
Caroline Wozniacki has historically enjoyed playing in America. She was crowned champion at Indian Wells in 2011 and has twice been the finalist. The Dane didn’t particularly do well in Australia but so far has been consistent this year. Wozniacki made back to back finals in Doha and Dubai and enters the North American swing high on confidence.
Indian Wells Tennis Garden
This gleaming and modern collection of tennis courts, training facilities and high-end retail and dining outlets is one of the gems of the tennis tours, WTA and ATP alike. There is a 16,100-seat center court, which includes 44 stadium suites, broadcast and media facilities and a massive food commissary. The second show court, referred to as Stadium 2 and built in 2014, has 8,000 seats. There are also two 19,000-square foot shade structures, 29 world-class courts, with more than enough room for fans and visitors to attend the event comfortably.
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