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The 2023 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells has already seen some exciting tennis action in its first few days and we are bound to see more as we gradually shift to the business end of the tournament.
This year's competition does not feature the likes of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, but there are several high-profile players competing. In the men's singles tournament, the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev have started strongly, while reigning women's champion Iga Swiatek looks determined to defend her title, as evidenced by her 6-0, 6-1 drubbing of Claire Liu.
Many of the top players have done well so far and look set to have a good run in Indian Wells. However, like in every other tournament, there have been some major upsets at the BNP Paribas Open, as a few quality players have been knocked out early by unheralded opponents.
On that note, let's take a look at the 5 biggest upsets so far in the tournament:
#5 Matteo Berrettini
Matteo Berrettini fell out of the top 20 of the ATP rankings following his first-round exit at the Australian Open. However, he still had the quality to have a good run at the BNP Paribas Open and hardly anyone would have expected him to lose to Japanese qualifier Taro Daniel.
The opening set was a tightly-contested affair which Daniel won via a tiebreak. However, Berrettini roared back into the match and bageled the 30-year-old to take the match to a decider.
The final set saw Daniel make an early break to take a 3-0 lead. Berrettini showed some resistance towards the end and saved two match points. However, the Japanese was not to be denied and he won 6-3 to reach the third round and eliminate Berrettini 7-6(5), 0-6, 6-3.
#4 Victoria Azarenka
Victoria Azarenka reached the Australian Open semifinals this season and has produced some really good tennis in the past couple of months. She was even considered among the dark horses for the BNP Paribas Open.
The former World No. 1 faced Karolina Muchova in the second round and while the Czech can be a pretty formidable competitor on her day, the Belarusian was expected to defeat her.
Muchova took an early break in the opening set before Azarenka fought back. The set was decided by a tiebreak, which the Czech won 7-1 to take the lead in the match. The second set saw the 26-year-old break in the very first game. Azarenka tried hard but the match belonged to Muchova and she went on to win 6-3 to reach the third round of the BNP Paribas Open.
#3 Casper Ruud
World No. 4 Casper Ruud's disappointing form continued as he suffered another early exit in 2023.
The Norwegian received a bye into the second round of the BNP Paribas Open, where he beat Diego Schwartzman 6-2, 6-3 to reach the third round. Here, the 24-year-old faced qualifier Cristian Garin and was the huge favorite.
However, the Chilean had other plans as he took the opening set 6-4. Both players exchanged breaks in the first few games of the second set and Ruud had a chance to go a break up during the eighth game.
However, he squandered two break points and the set would eventually be determined by a tiebreak. Garin won 7-2 to eliminate Ruud from the BNP Paribas Open. The World No. 4 now has a disappointing 4-5 win-loss record so far this season and will hope to have a resurgence at the earliest.
#2 Belinda Bencic
Belinda Bencic had a terrific start to the 2023 season as she won two WTA 500 titles in Adelaide and Abu Dhabi. The Swiss was seeded ninth in the BNP Paribas Open and was expected to make a deep run.
Bencic faced her doubles partner Jil Teichmann in the first round and started the match strongly by winning the opening set 6-3. However, the latter fought back in the second and won it by the same scoreline to force the match into a decider.
Teichmann found momentum and cruised to a 5-1 lead in the third set. Bencic showed some resistance by winning the next two games but the World No. 38 was not to be denied and won the final set 6-3 to reach the third round.
#1 Stefanos Tsitsipas
Stefanos Tsitsipas had a terrific start to the season, reaching the final of the Australian Open, and was considered to be among the favorites to win the BNP Paribas Open. However, the Greek did not expect too much from himself in the tournament as he hadn't completely recovered from his shoulder injury.
That said, not many would have expected him to bite the dust in the second round where he faced Jordan Thompson. The first set went to a tiebreak and the Aussie won it 7-0 to take the lead in the match. However, Tsitsipas fought back and took the second set 6-4 to keep his hopes alive.
The third set was tightly contested and went to a tiebreak. Here, Tsitsipas hit a backhand that was narrowly out with the score at 5-6, thus giving Thompson an unexpected victory. The Greek might now rule himself out of the Miami Masters to completely recover ahead of the claycourt season, where he has plenty of points to defend.
