Emma Raducanu is in line to meet world No 3 Coco Gauff should she win her first-round match at Indian Wells, while Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz are on course for another blockbuster encounter in the men’s draw.
Raducanu will be in action for the first time since a traumatic ordeal at the WTA 1000 event in Dubai last month, where she was repeatedly approached by a stalker. The man managed to get into the first few rows at her second-round match before Raducanu spotted him; he was removed and later given a restraining order.
The 22-year-old was visibly shaken by the ordeal and has not played since, but will return at Indian Wells, reportedly with an increased security detail. Her opener will be against Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima, the world No 52, and if Raducanu gets past her she will face another former US Open champion in Gauff.
The top 32 seeds in both the men’s and women’s Indian Wells draws receive a first-round bye, with British No 1 Katie Boulter seeded 25th. She has a winnable second-round draw against either Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu or American Ann Li, before a likely encounter with a much tricker opponent, huge-serving 2023 champion Elena Rybakina.
Australian Open champion Madison Keys will be playing her first tournament since her stunning triumph at the year’s first major, and has been drawn in the same quarter as Raducanu, Gauff, and two more high-flying Americans, Amanda Anisimova and world No 8 Emma Navarro.
In the men’s draw, five-time champion Novak Djokovic is on course for a rematch of his Australian Open quarter-final with Carlos Alcaraz, who is the two-time defending champion in California. The pair are again seeded to meet in the last eight and have been drawn in the opposite half to Alexander Zverev, who is the top seed in the absence of world No 1 Jannik Sinner.
Both Djokovic and Alcaraz have tricky draws, with the Serb expected to face Nick Kyrgios in the second round. The Australian has entered under a protected ranking as he continues his comeback from multiple lengthy injury troubles and will play a qualifier in round one.
Alcaraz meanwhile faces a likely third-round test against 27th seed Denis Shapovalov, who looks to have rediscovered his best tennis, winning a maiden ATP 500 tournament in Dallas last month.
Brits Jack Draper and Jacob Fearnley have been drawn in the same section and could meet in the second round, if the Scot wins a tantalising opener against teenage sensation Joao Fonseca, who recently won his first ATP singles title at a 500-level event in Argentina and has been awarded a main draw wildcard. The winner of that second-round contest will likely play recent Dubai finalist and 17th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the third round.
Cameron Norrie, the last Brit in the main draw, plays Luca Nardi in round one as he looks to bounce back from an underwhelming start to his season. Should he beat the Italian he’ll come up against Czech rising star Jiri Lehecka, the 23rd seed, in the next round.
