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The WTA tour's top stars have gathered in California for the season's second WTA 1000 event, the BNP Paribas Open, which will be held from March 8-19, 2023.
World No. 1 and defending champion Iga Swiatek leads the field, which features the entire top 10 in action. The Pole came quite close to winning the season's first WTA 1000 tournament, the Dubai Tennis Championships, but lost to Barbora Krejcikova in the final.
Former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin is among the wildcard recipients. With the who's who of the women's tour in one place, the tournament promises some high-octane action.
On that note, here's all the necessary information about the BNP Paribas Open:
What is the BNP Paribas Open?
The tournament began as an ATP-only event, but opened its doors to the WTA tour in 1989. The women used to compete a week before the men, but that changed in 1996 when it became a joint event.
The response to the tournament was fantastic from its inception. It started off as a lower-tier event, but was upgraded over the years and is currently classified as a WTA 1000 event.
The BNP Paribas Open is one of the most prestigious on the tour and is referred to as the "fifth Grand Slam". Serena Williams, Steffi Graf, Maria Sharapova, and Naomi Osaka are some of the former champions here.
Venue
The BNP Paribas Open will be held on hardcourt (Plexipave) at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, California, United States.
Players
All seeded players have gotten a first-round bye. Some interesting opening-round clashes include Sloane Stephens facing fellow Grand Slam champion Sofia Kenin, while Emma Raducanu will take on Danka Kovinic.
Iga Swiatek leads the top half of the draw, which also features Ons Jabeur, Victoria Azarenka, Elena Rybakina, and Caroline Garcia. The defending champion could meet Bianca Andreescu in the third round,
Swiatek could then face Beatriz Haddad Maia, followed by Garcia in the quarterfinals. Reigning Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka headlines the bottom half of the draw.
She could be up against the in-form Donna Vekic in the third round and is likely to cross paths with 2021 French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova after that. Belinda Bencic and Coco Gauff are also on a collision course and could meet as early as the third round.
Last year's runner-up Maria Sakkari is likely to take on Katie Volynets in the second round. Petra Kvitova, Jessica Pegula and Jelena Ostapenko are some of the other notable names in this half of the draw.
The official draw can be accessed here.
Schedule
The qualifying rounds will take place from March 6-7. The main-draw action will commence on March 8. The first three rounds will take place over two days each and will conclude on March 13.
The fourth-round matches are scheduled for March 14, followed by the quarterfinals over the next couple of days. The semifinals are set for Friday, March 17. The doubles final will be held on Saturday, March 18, with the singles final to take place on Sunday, March 19.
The official tournament schedule can be accessed here.
Prize Money
The total prize money for this year's edition is $8,800,000. The winner will walk away with a cash prize of $1,262,220 along with 1000 ranking points. Here's a detailed breakdown of the prize money and ranking points:
Where to watch
Viewers in the US, Australia, UK and Canada can watch the BNP Paribas Open live on the following channels and sites:
USA: All matches will be broadcast on Tennis Channel.
UK: Fans in the UK can watch the proceedings live on Amazon Prime Video.
Australia: All matches will be telecast on beIN Sports.
Canada: Viewers in Canada can watch all the matches on TSN & TVA.
