120, she was awarded a wild card into the Indian Wells singles main draw. Two years ago this week, after a run in two Mexican tournaments raised her ranking to career-best No. 404 in the world, she lost in the first round of qualifying at an entry-level $25,000 tournament halfway around the world in Nishitama, Japan. Just three years ago this week, a 16-year-old Fernandez was nowhere near preparing to face the best in the California desert. 18), she’ll begin her run in the desert this weekend against either Amanda Anisimova or wild card Emma Navarro, whom she played in the final when she won the Roland Garros junior girls’ event in 2019. 21 in the rankings, and fresh off a successful defence of her first career WTA title in Monterrey, Mexico.Īnd after the first-round bye granted to the 32 seeded players (she’s at No. The 19-year-old from Montreal comes into the 2022 edition at No. Leylah Fernandez’s brief history at the BNP Paribas Open is a snapshot of her meteoric rise in women’s tennis. Venus Williams ended her boycott by competing in Indian Wells in 2016.INDIAN WELLS, Calif. Īfter a phone call from Larry Ellison (the multi-billionaire founder of Oracle, tennis enthusiast and most recent owner of the tournament), Serena Williams returned to Indian Wells in 2015, ending her 14-year boycott of the event. The following month at the Ericsson Open, Richard Williams, Serena and Venus's father, claimed racial slurs were directed at him while in the stands, although there is no definitive evidence of this. Williams won the tournament and was subsequently booed during the awards ceremony. Amid speculation of match fixing, the crowd for the final loudly booed Serena when she came out to play the final and continued to boo her intermittently through the entire match, even to the point of cheering unforced errors and double faults. The two were scheduled to play in the 2001 semifinal but Venus withdrew due to an injury. Venus and Serena Williams refused to play the Indian Wells tournament from 2001 to 2014 despite threats of financial sanctions and ranking point penalties. Indian Wells Tennis Garden in 2005įurther information: Williams sisters § Boycott of the Indian Wells Masters The revamping of the tennis center also included a "Pro Purple" interior court color created specifically for the ATP Masters Series and first used at Indian Wells, citing the purple color being 180 degrees and exactly opposite the yellow of the ball. After the 2013 BNP Paribas Open, the Indian Wells Tennis Garden started an expansion and upgrade of its facilities that includes a new 8,000 seat Stadium 2. The tournament is played in the Indian Wells Tennis Garden (built in 2000) which has 29 tennis courts, including the 16,100-seat main stadium, which is the second largest tennis-specific stadium in the world. Indian Wells lies in the Coachella Valley (Palm Springs area), about 125 miles (201 km) east of downtown Los Angeles. The Indian Wells Masters event is the premier tennis tournament within the Western United States and is the second largest tennis tournament throughout the United States and the Americas, behind the US Open ( Grand Slam tournament held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City within the Eastern United States). The Indian Wells Tennis Garden has the second- largest permanent tennis stadium in the world, behind New York City's Arthur Ashe Stadium. The tournament is played on hardcourt and is the best-attended tennis tournament outside the four Grand Slam tournaments (475,372 in total attendance during the 2019 event) it is often called the "fifth Grand Slam". Both singles main draws include 96 players in a 128-player grid, with the 32 seeded players getting a bye (a free pass) to the second round. Both finals are held on Sunday of the following week. The women's main draw usually starts on Wednesday and the men's main draw starts on Thursday. The event is one of two tour events (along with the Miami Open), other than the Majors, in which main draw play extends beyond eight days. The tournament is a Masters 1000 event on the men's tour and is a WTA 1000 event on the women's tour.īetween 19 it was non-tour event and between 19 it was held as part of the Grand Prix Tennis Tour. The tournament director is former world No. The owner is Larry Ellison, executive chairman and co-founder of Oracle. The Indian Wells Masters, also known as the Indian Wells Open and BNP Paribas Open, is an annual tennis tournament usually held in early- and mid-March at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, California, United States.
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