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The 2022 Indian Wells Open is set to begin in a couple of days.
World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty, who would've been one of the leading contenders for the title, withdrew from the event. Venus and Serena Williams aren't competing either.
On the bright side, former champion Naomi Osaka returns to action following an unsuccessful title defense at the Australian Open. Defending champion Paula Badosa started off strong this year, but enters the tournament on the heels of early exits in Dubai and Qatar.
World No. 3 Aryna Sabalenka has improved after a dismal start to the season, but it remains to be seen if she's back to her best. Reigning Roland Garros and US Open champions Barbora Krejcikova and Emma Raducanu (respectively) retired from the last matches they played, so there are concerns regarding their fitness.
While the WTA field remains fairly open, some players have been rather consistent for a while now. The following five players are the leading contenders for the 2022 Indian Wells title.
#5 Simona Halep
After her 2021 season was hampered due to injuries, Simona Halep seems to be back to her best this year. She started the season by winning her 23rd career title at the Melbourne Summer Set. At the Australian Open, she made it to the fourth round where she lost to an inspired Alize Cornet.
The former World No. 1 then made the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships. Up against Jelena Ostapenko, she started off strong but eventually lost steam as her younger opponent won in three sets.
At the Qatar Open, Halep was upset in the first round by former World No. 4 Caroline Garcia. Despite the loss, the Romanian will be one of the title contenders in Indian Wells.
A former Indian Wells champion, she knows what it takes to go all the way here and will be eager to bounce back after the disappointing loss in Qatar.
#4 Maria Sakkari
Maria Sakkari has taken her career to the next level over the last year, but has fallen short of tasting glory quite a few times. She reached her maiden Grand Slam semifinal at the 2021 French Open, where she lost to Barbora Krejcikova despite having a match point. Sakkari then lost in the semifinals of the US Open and the WTA Finals as well.
She started the 2022 season by losing in the second round of the Adelaide International to Shelby Rogers. The Greek then made it to the fourth round of the Australian Open. In St. Petersburg, she lost in the final to Anett Kontaveit despite leading 4-1 in the deciding set. At the Qatar Open, she lost in the semifinals to Iga Swiatek.
Sakkari has just one career title to her name despite making the business end of the majority of tournaments over the past couple of seasons. She has the tendency to falter during the latter stages of tournaments, but if she's able to solve that problem, there's no reason why she shouldn't be able to win the title at Indian Wells.
#3 Jelena Ostapenko
Jelena Ostapenko's start to the year wasn't ideal, as she lost in the opening round of the Sydney Tennis Classic to Paula Badosa. At the Australian Open, Barbora Krejcikova knocked her out in the third round.
The Latvian showed signs of resurgence in St. Petersburg, where she lost in the semifinals to Kontaveit. At the Dubai Tennis Championships, she defeated four Grand Slam winners in a row in Sofia Kenin, Iga Swiatek, Petra Kvitova and Halep to reach the final. She defeated Veronika Kudermetova in the summit clash to win her fifth career title.
At the Qatar Open, Ostapenko made it to the semifinals before falling to Kontaveit yet again. The 24-year-old is displaying the form that led her to the French Open title in 2017. She made it to the semifinals at Indian Wells last year and her current form makes her one of the favorites to go all the way this time.
#2 Anett Kontaveit
Since winning the Cleveland Open in August 2021, Anett Kontaveit has transformed into a tremendous player. She won three more titles after that and reached the summit clash of the WTA Finals.
The Estonian has continued her good run of form this year as well. She reached the semifinals in Sydney, losing a closely fought battle against Krejcikova. At the Australian Open, she was one of the favorites to win the title but was upset in the second round by Clara Tauson.
Kontaveit proved her early exit in Melbourne was an exception by winning the title in St. Petersburg after that. She made it to the final of the Qatar Open next, but Swiatek defeated her quite easily.
Aside from her Australian Open loss, Kontaveit has made it to the latter stages of every tournament she has competed in over the last few months. During this period, she has won five titles and finished as a runner-up twice. She'll be a heavy favorite to do well in Indian Wells too.
#1 Iga Swiatek
Since winning the 2020 Roland Garros, Iga Swiatek has quickly established herself as one of the most consistent players on the WTA tour.
The 20-year-old reached the semifinals of the Adelaide International at the start of the season, where she lost to top-ranked Ashleigh Barty. At the Australian Open, she made the semifinals of the tournament for the first time before being beaten by Danielle Collins.
In Dubai, she lost in the second round to fellow Grand Slam champion Ostapenko. Swiatek bounced back by winning the Qatar Open after that. She defeated three top 10 players in Sabalenka, Sakkari and Kontaveit en route to the title.
Swiatek competed in the California desert for the first time last year and made it to the fourth round. This time, she is the one to beat and is the firm favorite to hoist the trophy in Indian Wells.
