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The 2024 BNP Paribas Open, also known as the Indian Wells Open, will begin on March 6. Dubbed the "fifth Grand Slam", the tournament brings together players from the ATP and WTA Tours for the first time since the Australian Open.
The first day of the tournament has quite a few big names lined up, including four Major champions, with Venus Williams being one of them. She will make her long-awaited comeback after an injury break.
The stage is set for an exciting fortnight of tennis at Indian Wells. On that note, here are the five must-see matches on the first day of the tournament:
#1 - Andy Murray vs David Goffin
After losing in the opening round of his first four tournaments this season, Murray snapped his losing skid with a win over Alexandre Muller at the Qatar Open. He then went down fighting to Czech teen Jakub Mensik in three sets in the second round.
Murray scored his second win of the year as he edged past Denis Shapovalov in his Dubai opener. He was defeated by eventual champion Ugo Humbert in the next round.
Goffin defeated Maxime Cressy and Luca Nardi in three sets to make the main draw at Indian Wells. Like Murray, the Belgian has struggled all season and has a 1-4 record at the main draw level. The Brit will be favored to win given his perfect 7-0 record in this rivalry.
Date: March 6, 2024 (USA, Canada, UK/Europe) and March 7, 2024 (India).
Time: Not before 2:00 p.m. PT, 5:00 p.m. ET, 10:00 p.m. GMT, and 3:30 a.m. IST.
#2 - Venus Williams vs Nao Hibino
Williams received a wildcard to compete at this year's Indian Wells Open. She has been out of action since bowing out in the first round of last year's US Open due to an injury. This will be her ninth appearance at the venue and her first since 2019.
Hibino fought past Julia Riera and Hsieh Su-wei to book her place in the main draw of Indian Wells. The Japanese has just a couple of main draw wins to her name this year.
Williams is in the twilight of her career so fans relish every opportunity to see her live. Given her time away from the tour, this could be a tough opener for her. But the American's competitive spirit could very well push her over the finish line.
Date: March 6, 2024 (USA, Canada) and March 7, 2024 (UK/Europe, India).
Time: Not before 6:00 p.m. PT, 9:00 p.m. ET, 2:00 a.m. GMT, and 7:30 a.m. IST.
#3 - Caroline Wozniacki vs Zhu Lin
While the start of her comeback seemed promising last year, Wozniacki has struggled a fair bit this year. She has just a lone win under her belt, which came courtesy of her opponent's retirement. She lost in the first round of her last two tournaments despite being a set and a break up.
Zhu's on a three-match losing streak at the moment, with her last win being over Varvara Grachva in the first round of the Qatar Open. Nevertheless, she does have more victories to her name this season compared to Wozniacki.
The former World No. 1 has shown she can still compete with the rest of the tour but has found it difficult to maintain her good headstarts. She's still a big draw wherever she goes and she's a former Indian Wells champion. Thus, one cannot write off a player of her caliber completely.
Date: March 6, 2024 (USA, Canada, UK/Europe) and March 7, 2024 (India).
Time: Not before 2:00 p.m. PT, 5:00 p.m. ET, 10:00 p.m. GMT, and 3:30 a.m. IST.
#4 - Angelique Kerber vs Petra Martic
Like her fellow Grand Slam champions, Kerber has struggled this year as well and has a 1-6 record for the season. Her sole win came over Ajla Tomljanovic in the semifinals of the United Cup. Her most recent tournament was the Linz Open in which she crashed out in the first round.
Martic hasn't set the tour on fire with her results either but has performed better than the German. Her best showing this season has been a quarterfinal finish at the ASB Classic.
Martic also leads Kerber 2-1 in the head-to-head. Given their respective form, this match tilts in the Croat's favor. The German is a former runner-up at Indian Wells, so if she takes some inspiration from her past run here, she has the potential to do some damage.
Date: March 6, 2024 (USA, Canada, UK/Europe) and March 7, 2024 (India).
Time: Starting at 11:00 a.m. PT, 2:00 p.m. ET, 7:00 p.m. GMT, and 12:30 a.m. IST.
#5 - Brandon Nakashima vs Christopher Eubanks
Nakashima has spent most of the past few months on the Challenger circuit to rebuild his ranking. Ranked outside the top 140 towards the end of 2023, he's now back in the top 100. This will be his first match at the ATP level since last year's Shanghai Masters.
Eubanks is currently ranked in the top 40 but hasn't competed like a player ranked that high this year. With a 3-4 record for the season, the 27-year-old is capable of playing a lot better.
The two played an entertaining three-set thriller the last time they faced off, which was at the 2023 Atlanta Open. Eubanks came out on top back then but given their form, this match could swing either way this time.
Date: March 6, 2024 (USA, Canada, UK/Europe) and March 7, 2024 (India).
Time: Approx. 1:00 p.m. PT, 4:00 p.m. ET, 9:00 p.m. GMT, and 2:30 p.m. IST.
Where to watch the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells?
Viewers in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and India can keep up with all the action taking place at Indian Wells live on the following channels and sites:
USA: All matches will be telecast on Tennis Channel and TC Plus.
UK: The official broadcaster in the region is Sky Sports.
Canada: Viewers in the country can watch all the matches on TSN and TVA.
Australia: All matches will be shown in beIN Sports.
India: Men's matches can be viewed on Sony Sports, while women's matches can be seen on Tennis Channel.
For more information regarding the broadcast of matches, click here.
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