With top-half seeds such as Iga Swiatek, Ons Jabeur, or Elena Rybakina entering the tournament on Day 4, the WTA Indian Wells feels like it is truly underway. As always, we here at LWOT will preview and predict every match. Who do you think will make it to the last 32?
Ons Jabeur vs Magdalena Frech
Head-to-head: first meeting
After a disappointing showing at the Australian Open where she lost in the second round, Jabeur took the Middle East swing off to have an unspecified minor surgery. The Tunisian is playing her first match back against lucky loser Frech, who still has not been able to string two wins together despite some pretty strong performances. The Pole has taken sets off Danielle Collins or Elise Mertens and bounced back amazingly after a rough 2-6 0-6 loss to Ashlyn Krueger in Indian Wells qualifying. I expect Jabeur to be able to shake off some rust early in this match and step up as a title contender in this draw.
Prediction: Jabeur in 2
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Madison Brengle vs Martina Trevisan
Head-to-head: first meeting
After starting the year with a four-match losing streak, Brengle has got a couple of wins under her belt on the tour, 5-4 since the start of February. The American’s most recent win came against Laura Siegemund in her Indian Wells opener and has received a favorable draw that could see her add another one. Trevisan has the final two and a half months of her tenure as a Top 30 player ahead of her before she has to defend her Rabat title and French Open semifinal run in the second half of May. The Italian is 1-7 on the year against Top 300 opponents, losing her last five matches. After a first-round loss to Anna Karolina Schmiedlova at the Australian Open, Trevisan won just nine games across her three opening-round losses in the Middle East. Unless her form improves markedly on clay, Trevisan’s status as a Top 100 player could be under threat from June onwards. Brengle is a strong favorite for me here.
Prediction: Brengle in 2
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Petra Martic vs Varvara Gracheva
Head-to-head: Martic 5-0 Gracheva
One of the more surprising head-to-head records on tour, Martic has dominated Gracheva across three different surfaces and dropped just one set to her in five matches. This will be the Russian’s best chance to get a win yet, coming off of a run to the Austin final. Gracheva went straight to Indian Wells qualifying after, beating Petra Marcinko and Anna-Lena Friedsam before dispatching Ysaline Bonaventure in the main draw. Martic had a finals run of her own, beating Maria Sakkari in the semifinals of Linz. The Croat has only played one match in almost four weeks while Gracheva is set to play her ninth in eleven days. If the Russian holds up physically, her current rhythm and form could see her win here.
Prediction: Gracheva in 3
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Iga Swiatek vs Claire Liu
Head-to-head: Swiatek 1-0 Liu
Defending champion Iga Swiatek recovered well after a fourth-round exit at the Australian Open, confirming that she is still World No. 1 with a title in Doha where the Pole entered the history books, dropping just five games across three matches to lift the trophy. Swiatek dropped just nine more games to reach the final of Dubai but there she found a worthy opponent in Barbora Krejcikova, losing 4-6 2-6. Liu struggled in the Middle East, going 2-5 with wins only over No. 665 Stefania Bojica and No. 332 Kristina Kucova. The American got a better win in Indian Wells though, beating Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in her opener. Their previous meeting from 2019 Auckland qualifying was a tight contest won by Swiatek whereas today I expect a more smooth ride toward victory from the Pole.
Prediction: Swiatek in 2
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USAToday
