Joel Drucker
- Men’s finalists and champion: Alexander Zverev vs. Carlos Alcaraz
- Men’s dark horse: João Fonseca
- Men’s early exit: Daniil Medvedev
Though he’s reached the finals at Indian Wells the last two years, little in the fifth-seeded Medvedev’s ’25 inspires confidence that he will get that far once again. Results-wise, Medvedev this year has gone 8-5, four of those losses coming to players ranked between No. 47 and No. 121. Not since the spring of ’23 has he won a singles title. But perhaps it’s even more disturbing to witness Medvedev’s emotional discord. In Rotterdam, he directed a rant at chair umpire Adel Nour.
“Do you see? Open your eyes,” said Medvedev. “No, you don’t have eyes, man. You’re so bad.” Last week in Dubai, Medvedev was issued a code violation for unsportsmanlike behavior before losing to Tallon Griekspoor. Now, in Indian Wells, his draw could lead to early round matches versus ascending SoCal-based Alex Michelsen, another young contender in Jiri Lehecka, or the increasingly formidable Tommy Paul.
- Women’s finalists and champion: Aryna Sabalenka vs. Iga Swiatek
- Women’s dark horse: Belinda Bencic
- Women’s early exit: Jasmine Paolini
Belinda Bencic has made an impressive comeback from maternity leave. So far in ‘25, she’s won 13 of 17 matches, including a title run at the WTA Tour 500 stop in Abu Dhabi. Along the way, Bencic has beaten Grand Slam champions Jelena Ostapenko, Naomi Osaka, Marketa Vondrousova, and Elena Rybakina. Quite wisely, Bencic commenced her return away from the WTA’s more challenging events, opting instead to compete at a pair of ITF tournaments and a WTA 125. As she told The Athletic, “I cannot be as arrogant to expect to not play for a year and a half and then come back to the same level . . . So it’s important that I can go to the lower level to also build everything up again and see where I’m at.” Should the 58th-ranked Bencic win her opener versus Tatjana Maria, she’ll next play 17th-seeded Amanda Anisimova.
