2014 BNP Paribas Open (Indian Wells)

[Hoergren]

Hi there - time to discuss this big tournament. First a BIG news shared on Twitter:

BREAKING: Tennis TV will show 3 courts per day since the 1st round in IW and Miami this year. Miracles do happen.

Well sounds great don't you think! So this lousy tournament TV wise has grown up and will become a decent event after allclap:clap

Draw will be out Monday 3rd of March - takes place at 15.00 (local time)

A complete new stadium 2 is finished and it looks good I think:

First 20 names on entry list - might come withdrawals before they start:

Azarenka, Victoria BLR
Sharapova, Maria RUS
Li, Na CHN
Radwanska, Agnieszka POL
Kvitova, Petra CZE
Errani, Sara ITA
Jankovic, Jelena SRB
Kerber, Angelique GER
Wozniacki, Caroline DEN
Vinci, Roberta ITA
Halep, Simona ROU
Stephens, Sloane USA
Ivanovic, Ana SRB
Lisicki, Sabine GER
Suarez Navarro, Carla ESP
Stosur, Samantha AUS
Flipkens, Kirsten BEL
Kuznetsova, Svetlana RUS
Cirstea, Sorana ROU
Makarova, Ekaterina RUS

And YES I know it's NOT their ranking The tournament has a new mascot - CHAMP:

 

[RJD11]

I don't see Genie on your list. Did she withdraw?

 

[Hoergren]

I don't see Genie on your list. Did she withdraw?

She's there - I just took the first 20 on the entry list and Genie is among the next 20

As always (almost) a standing in the rankings with last years IW stripped. As you can see players like Maria and Caroline are falling because they defend a lot of points in this tournament - here is the virtual top 20:

1 Serena Williams 12660 - not there
2 Na Li 6795
3 Agnieszka Radwanska 5565
4 Victoria Azarenka 5431
5 Simona Halep 4385
6 Jelena Jankovic 4375
7 Maria Sharapova 4206
8 Petra Kvitova 4115
9 Angelique Kerber 4040
10 Sara Errani 3765
11 Dominika Cibulkova 3255
12 Ana Ivanovic 3075
13 Roberta Vinci 2860
14 Sabine Lisicki 2650
15 Carla Suarez Navarro 2555
16 Caroline Wozniacki 2485
17 Sloane Stephens 2410
18 Eugenie Bouchard 2365
19 Samantha Stosur 2355
20 Flavia Pennetta 2255

 

[golds girl]

I don't see Genie on your list. Did she withdraw?

She's there - I just took the first 20 on the entry list and Genie is among the next 20

As always (almost) a standing in the rankings with last years IW stripped. As you can see players like Maria and Caroline are falling because they defend a lot of points in this tournament - here is the virtual top 20:

1 Serena Williams 12660 - not there
2 Na Li 6795
3 Agnieszka Radwanska 5565
4 Victoria Azarenka 5431
5 Simona Halep 4385
6 Jelena Jankovic 4375
7 Maria Sharapova 4206
8 Petra Kvitova 4115
9 Angelique Kerber 4040
10 Sara Errani 3765
11 Dominika Cibulkova 3255
12 Ana Ivanovic 3075
13 Roberta Vinci 2860
14 Sabine Lisicki 2650
15 Carla Suarez Navarro 2555
16 Caroline Wozniacki 2485
17 Sloane Stephens 2410
18 Eugenie Bouchard 2365
19 Samantha Stosur 2355
20 Flavia Pennetta 2255

Yes, Woz and Sharapova do have some points to defend. It's interesting how their significant others seem to be doing well and they've had kind of a slump. Hopefully the success of their sig o's can lift them up as well.

 

[my sherona]

Maria dominates this start of 2014 tennis season.." Prepare to be awed" - R Lacoste

 

[Front242]

The season started in January and she's been pretty damn far from dominating I'm sorry to inform you.

 

[Hoergren]

Qualifying starts today have a look - all times local: NB Remember main draw at 15.00 (local time)

MONDAY, MARCH 3, 2014

STADIUM 2 start 11:00
WTA - Qualifying - C Giorgi (ITA) vs [WC] I Falconi (USA) 61 61
WTA - Qualifying - V Razzano (FRA) vs [WC] H Watson (GBR) 16 46
WTA - Qualifying - [WC] A Kiick (USA) vs M Minella (LUX) 63 60
WTA - Qualifying - B Zahlavova Strycova (CZE) vs [WC] G Min (USA) 76 63

STADIUM 3 start 11:00
WTA - Qualifying - [WC] M Brengle (USA) vs R Oprandi (SUI) 64 61
WTA - Qualifying - M Lucic-Baroni (CRO) vs T Majeric (SLO) 61 16 67
WTA - Qualifying - A Hlavackova (CZE) vs K Date-Krumm (JPN) 57 46
WTA - Qualifying - M Krajicek (NED) vs K Piter (POL) 62 61

STADIUM 4 start 11:00
WTA - Qualifying - [WC] A Rodionova (AUS) vs Alison Van Uytvanck 64 46 46
WTA - Qualifying - Y Putintseva (KAZ) vs T Pereira (BRA) 36 36
WTA - Qualifying - S Fichman (CAN) vs L Kumkhum (THA) 63 46 63
WTA - Qualifying - Y Shvedova (KAZ) vs M Linette (POL) 36 64 64

STADIUM 5 start 11:00
WTA - Qualifying - Y Chan (TPE) vs E Cabeza Candela (ESP) 46 75
WTA - Qualifying - C Dellacqua (AUS) vs A Tatishvili (GEO) 63 46 61
WTA - Qualifying - A Medina Garrigues (ESP) vs A Mestach (BEL) 57 16
WTA - Qualifying - J Glushko (ISR) vs M Zanevska (UKR) 46 16

STADIUM 6 start 11:00
WTA - Qualifying - J Larsson (SWE) vs V Dushevina (RUS) 62 26 64
WTA - Qualifying - T Babos (HUN) vs A Kudryavtseva (RUS) 57 63 46
WTA - Qualifying - M Larcher de Brito (POR) vs M Doi (JPN) 36 75 60
WTA - Qualifying - A Schmiedlova (SVK) vs L Arruabarrena (ESP) 63 64

STADIUM 7 start 11:00
WTA - Qualifying - M Czink (HUN) vs S Hsieh (TPE) 75 46 64
WTA - Qualifying - O Govortsova (BLR) vs O Rogowska (AUS) 36 46
WTA - Qualifying - J Konta (GBR) vs P Martic (CRO) 63 46 63
WTA - Qualifying - M Duque-Marino (COL) vs N Kichenok (UKR) 16 06

 

[Correspondent Kiu]

Brand New Stadium, I wonder if anyone is going to visit and give us a small report.

 

[10isfan]

I will be there this Saturday and Sunday. Last year, I made the mistake of going the second weekend when most players had already left. Really looking forward to this tournament. Larry Ellison is trying to get the USO to be played here instead of NY. Offering top players huge appearance fees, use of his jet/home, etc. This may explain why Serena left her name on the list for a few days while thinking it over. I will post whatever tidbits I can. Will definitely be watching the Fed match, but have not decided anything else.

 

[Si Si Simona]

haha The NO.6 seed is getting her honorary citizenship in a place called Bosteni in Romania.
Watch the huge cake with the tennis racket and the eagle Doha trophy on it, and the accordionist singing about her 7 titles and her other achievements :laydownlaughing
Simona is bursting in a big laughter
[video=youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIhzTOY0E1o[/video]

 

[special700]

I will be there this Saturday and Sunday. Last year, I made the mistake of going the second weekend when most players had already left. Really looking forward to this tournament. Larry Ellison is trying to get the USO to be played here instead of NY. Offering top players huge appearance fees, use of his jet/home, etc. This may explain why Serena left her name on the list for a few days while thinking it over. I will post whatever tidbits I can. Will definitely be watching the Fed match, but have not decided anything else.

You are kidding with that statement right?

 

[10isfan]

Special, I did say MAY. It is just my wild guess. No one, not even you, knows why her name was on the player list. I am just trying to give insights (not about Serena) but the tournament, in general, since I live near Ellison and hear things other members of this forum do not.

 

[rugged]

Who will win it all. Hopefully Li Na is in good form. Maybe Vika can go deep even after just coming off her injury. Would love to see Halep grab another title. Can Petra wake up. Will Jelena close her mouth and let her racquet do the talking? Wouldn't mind seeing Aga get the title. Good luck ladies.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

I will be interested to see how Azarenka performs at IW.I read a article,around the 19th of February stating she is wearing a walking boot for her foot injury and will attempt to play at IW.Hopefully her injury has healed.If not,Azarenka could be facing more time out from the tour.

 

[Si Si Simona]

Live draw so far:

Li Na top seed. Plays winner of Ormaechea/J Zheng.
Aga plays winner of Bencic/qualifier.
Maria plays winner of Cepelova/Goerges.
Vika plays winner of L. Davis/qualifier.
Petra K play winner of Vandeweghe/Cadantu.
Kerber plays winner of Voskoboeva/Torro-Flor
Halep plays winner of Nara/qualifier.
Jankovic plays winner of Meusburger/Melzer.
Domi plays winner of Vekic/qualifier.
Ana plays winner of Svitolina/Puig.
Errani plays winner of Peer/qualifier.
Caro plays winner of Riske/Jovanovski.
Lisicki plays winner of U Radwanska/ Wozniak.
Stosur plays winner of Barthel/Schiavone.
Vinci plays winner of Keys/Pironkova.
Suarez-Navarro plays winner of S Zhang/Mladenovic.
Pavs plays winner of Mattek-Sands/C Garcia.
Makarova plays winner of Niculescu/Erakovic.
Flavia plays winner of Townsend/Knapp.
Bouchard plays winner of Zvonareva/S Peng.
Sloane plays winner of Dominguez Lino/Tomljanovic.
Flipkens plays winner of McHale/qualifier.
Kanepi plays winner of Scheepers/qualifier.
Cornet plays winner of Petrova/Soler-Espinosa.
Zakopalova plays winner of K Pliskova/qualifier.
Svetlana plays winner of V King/qualifier.
Cirstea plays winner of Petkovic/qualifie
Muguruza plays winner of Kleybanova/Duval.
Safarova plays winner of Wickmayer/qualifier.
Hantuchova plays winner of Lepchenko/qualifier.
Rybarokova plays winner of Cetkovska/Rogers.
Vesnina plays winner of Beck/Voegele.

 

[Si Si Simona]

Simona got the worst draw possible for a first match in R2 against Nara the new Japanese girl. :s
If Simona wont watch it and wont be in good form she can lose it.
Nara is one of the very few on the tour who are just as fast and dynamic as Simona.
Simo is a slow starter in tournaments and she will be complacent with all the hype around her.
I see trouble.

Safarova in R3, Genie in R4, Vika in QF - a much tougher draw than the Aus open

 

[GameSetAndMath]

What happened to KumKum? Is she in the draw? If so, who is she playing?
I was impressed by the way she manhandled Petra Kvitova in AO.

 

[Si Si Simona]

What happened to KumKum? Is she in the draw? If so, who is she playing?
I was impressed by the way she manhandled Petra Kvitova in AO.

Not playing here

 

[Correspondent Kiu]

I think this is the first time Li Na has been top seed in a major mandatory.

 

[ozza]

What happened to KumKum? Is she in the draw? If so, who is she playing?
I was impressed by the way she manhandled Petra Kvitova in AO.

She's in qualifying vs Sharon Fichman.