Indian Wells is the third WTA 1000 tournament on the calendar, and it remains to be seen whether we will crown another unexpected champion.
Italy's Jasmine Paolini caused quite an upset in Dubai when she won her biggest career title last month. Recent history suggests you should never rule out the underdog in Tennis Paradise.
In the past decade, players such as Flavia Pennetta, Elena Vesnina, Bianca Andreescu, and Paula Badosa have each defied the odds to walk away with the top prize from California.
But there has been a semblance of normality in the past two seasons when it comes to the women who topped the podium in Indian Wells. And on that note, let us take a look at our three favorites in the women's draw.
3. Elena Rybakina
Elena Rybakina is a double champion in 2024. She has won a pair of WTA 500 events in Brisbane and Abu Dhabi. She is also the only player who has contested three finals this year (she lost the Doha final to Swiatek).
To underpin Rybakina's title credentials in Indian Wells, she is the defending champion and was a standout performer at last year's Sunshine Swing (a runner-up to Petra Kvitova in Miami).
Her Dubai withdrawal is only a precautionary decision after an exhausting Middle Eastern swing. Expect the Kazakh to return to title-wining form at the desert, but she'll need to do something that has not been done at Indian Wells since 1991, which is to retain her crown.
2. Aryna Sabalenka
With the first Grand Slam crown of the season in the bag, Aryna Sabalenka remains the most daunting opposition on tour. A shock defeat to Donna Vekic in her first tournament since Melbourne can be termed as a blip because the Belarusian's mental fortitude has improved immeasurably, and she will quickly shake off that minor upset.
1. Iga Swiatek
A champion at the desert back in 2022, Iga Swiatek remains the WTA's most complete player. Swiatek's versatility and ability to adapt to different surfaces and opponents make her the ultimate challenge on tour.
Her record and dominance at the WTA 1000 level are quite absurd, akin to what Sabalenka has been doing at the Slams in the past two years. So, she is the clear-cut favorite to win Indian Wells ahead of the rest.
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