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The 2024 Indian Wells Open draw was made public on Monday, March 4, with fans in line for an exciting couple of weeks of action in the Californian desert.
The women's singles field features the biggest names in the game, including the likes of the World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, 2024 Australian Open women's singles champion Aryna Sabalenka, defending champion Elena Rybakina, and more.
The draw offers a plethora of intriguing matchups early on, favoring some while others stare at a difficult path to the final. Top seeds Swiatek, Sabalenka, and Rybakina have found little luck, with all in line to face multiple tough opponents en route to the summit clash. Coco Gauff, meanwhile, has a relatively easy path to the semifinals.
So, without further ado, here is the biggest winner and loser from the women's singles draw at the 2024 Indian Wells Open.
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, without question, is the biggest loser at the 2024 Indian Wells women's singles draw
Iga Swiatek was on the receiving end of the bad news when the 2024 Indian Wells Open draw was announced, after being presented a rather uphill task en route to the finals.
The 2022 champion will kick off her campaign against former World No. 7 and 2022 Australian Open women's singles runner-up Danielle Collins. The pair have battled it out in some classics in the past, with Swiatek leading their head-to-head 5-1 currently. Their second-round match at the Australian Open earlier this year went the distance, with Swiatek eventually coming up trumps 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.
Linda Noskova potentially awaits Switek in the round of 32. The Czech teen shocked the world at the Australian Open earlier this year when she beat Swiatek in the third round en route to her first Grand Slam quarterfinal. Katie Boulter, the 2024 San Diego Champion, is also a possible third-round opponent.
Madison Keys or Ekaterina Alexandrova are expected to face off against Swiatek in the fourth round. Sixth seed Ons Jabeur will most likely take her on in a high-octane quarterfinal match-up. Swiatek, however, leads her head-to-head 5-1 against the Tunisian and won their last meeting at the 2023 WTA finals.
Defending champion Elena Rybakina is expected to square off against Swiatek in the semi-finals. The pair met at the very same stage in the tournament last year, with the Kazakh taking the win in straight sets 6-2, 6-2. Swiatek won their previous meeting in the finals of the Qatar Open. Rybakina, however, leads their overall head-to-head 3-2.
The summit clash, meanwhile, could very likely give fans a match-up between the top two seeds, Swiatek and Sabalenka. The pair last faced off at the 2023 WTA finals, with the Pole winning that contest 6-3, 6-2. Sabalenka beat Swiatek 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, in the final of the Madrid Open last year. Swiatek leads their overall head-to-head 6-3.
Coco Gauff has been blessed with a rather kind draw at the 2024 Indian Wells Open
World No. 3 Coco Gauff has a rather easy draw at the 2024 Indian Wells Open in direct contrast to her counterparts Swiatek, Sabalenka, and Rybakina.
The 2023 US Open women's singles champion and home favorite will kick off her campaign in the Californian desert against either Clara Burel or Wang Xiyu in the second round. 32nd seed Anna Kalinina could face Gauff in the third round.
A blockbuster fourth round is potentially on the cards for Gauff, with four-time Grand Slam champion and the 2018 Indian Wells champion Naomi Osaka in her path should she make it through. No.14 seed Liudmila Samsonova and No. 26 Elise Mertens also hover around in that part of the draw, and could all be in line to be Gauff's fourth-round opponent.
Eighth seed Qinwen Zheng or two-time Indian Wells champion Victoria Azarenka could square off against Swiatek in the quarterfinals. Sabalenka and Gauff could very likely battle it out in the semi-finals. Gauff will be looking for revenge after falling to Sabalenka in the semi-finals of the Australian Open earlier this year.
Top seed Swiatek or defending champion Rybakina could very likely face Gauff in the summit should they make it safely through the draw. Gauff will look to improve her head-to-head against Swiatek should they face in the final, with the Pole currently leading 9-1. Gauff, however, has the upper hand against Rybakina, having won their only contest on tour as of now.
Honorable mention: Aryna Sabalenka too faces a tricky path en route to the 2024 Indian Wells title
World No. 2 Aryna Sabaleka had been presented with a tough draw to the finals, just like Iga Swiatek and Rybakina.
The Belarusian successfully defended her Australian Open earlier this year to capture the second Grand Slam singles title of her career. She, however, suffered a shock defeat to Donna Vekic in the Dubai Tennis Championships a couple of weeks ago, going down despite winning the first set.
She is due to begin her Indian Wells campaign against Elisabetta Cocciaretto or Peyton Stearns. Sabalenka could face either Emma Raducanu, the 2020 US Open champion, or Dayana Yastremska, this year's Australian Open semifinalist, in the third round. Elina Svitolina is a possible round-of-16 opponent for Sabalenka. Sabaleka leads their head-to-head 2-1.
Fifth seed Jessica Pegula or ninth seed Mari Sakkari could meet Sabalenka in the quarter-finals. Sabalenka dominates her head-to-head with both of them, leading 4-2 against Pegula and 7-3 against Sakkari.
Coco Gauff is a potential semi-final opponent for Sabalenka. Should the Belarusian win that match, she could potentially battle it out for a first Indian Wells title against World No. 1 Swiatek or defending champion Rybakina.
