With the Sunshine Swing about to get underway—the 2025 BNP Paribas Open begins on Wednesday, March 5—our writers and editors tackle the most important questions heading into Indian Wells and Miami.
Last up: Are Indian Wells, Miami more important for Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, or Coco Gauff?
DAVID KANE: Aryna Sabalenka arrived in the Middle East poised to take the two WTA 1000-level hard-court tournaments by storm and further increase her lead atop the rankings. While she made a modest addition to her total, she showed worrying signs of burnout after a flat loss to Clara Tauson in Dubai, admitting she lacked the hunger many have come to expect from the three-time Grand Slam champion, one coming off a heartbreaking loss in the finals of the Australian Open. With Iga Swiatek defending the BNP Paribas Open title, Sabalenka’s top spot is unlikely to be under threat in March, but Sabalenka will want to end the hard-court swing on a high note in the hopes of setting the tone for another competitive clay-court swing, where she reached back-to-back finals last year.
STEPHANIE LIVAUDAIS: After a three-year stint of dominating the WTA Tour, Iga Swiatek now finds herself seeking her first title in nearly 10 months—since her victory at 2024 Roland Garros. A strong showing in the Sunshine Swing would go a long way to silence doubters.
LIYA DAVIDOV: Coco Gauff. While all three haven’t enjoyed the dominance they appeared poised to share in January, Gauff has perhaps taken the most worrying backslide after her stirring run at the United Cup, where she led the U.S. team to the title. Significantly behind Sabalenka and Swiatek in the rankings race, a strong performance during the Sunshine Swing would boost Gauff back into the conversation.
