Iga Świątek wins her second match at the BNP Paribas Open/Indian Wells tournament, while Carlos Alcaraz defends his championship.
Slightly below the Grand Slam level, the Banque Nationale de Paris Open, also called Indian Wells, is one of the most prominent professional tennis competitions. In addition to being regarded as the fifth Grand Slam, the Open is one of the most lucrative, well-watched, and prestigious events for professional tennis players of both sexes. The Women’s Tennis Association and the Association of Tennis Professionals are the official titles of the women’s and men’s circuits, respectively.
The BNP competition falls under the “ATP Tour Masters 1000” and “WTA 1000” categories. Each year, the Australian Open is the first event for both men and women. Smaller competitions like Indian Wells come next, before the next Grand Slam, Roland Garros. Tennis players will therefore benefit greatly from participating in these tournaments as it will prime them for the rest of the year.
On March 17, 2024, 22-year-old Iga Świątek of Poland and 20-year-old Carlos Alcaraz of Spain were rated first and second, respectively, in the world. At the 2024 BNP Paribas Open, Alcaraz and Świątek each won their respective championship crowns.
After an hour and eight minutes of play, Świątek defeated 28-year-old Greek Maria Sakkari, who is ranked ninth in the world, 6-4, 6-0 in the women’s singles tournament title match.
In the men’s singles event, world No. 4 Daniil Medvedev, 27, lost to world champion Alcaraz, who successfully defended his title. The final match time was one hour and forty-two minutes, and the score was 7-6(5), 6-1.
Despite finishing the tournament as champions, Świątek and Alcaraz had very different paths to the championship match. Throughout the entire competition, Światek did not lose a set. Despite having only one title this tennis season, she has struggled, even if she had a wonderful time at Indian Wells. Her only triumph came on February 17, 2024, when she won the Qatar Open.
In the second round, Świątek’s longest match happened when she beat 30-year-old Danielle Collins of the United States, ranked 53rd in the world. The match lasted one hour and twenty-one minutes, despite the eventual score of 6-3, 6-0. It was a hard and drawn-out contest. Following her victory over Collins, Swiatek paused to consider her victory and explained her positive outlook, saying, “It’s not tournament related, it’s more process related” and that her “goals are kind of healthier.” She was impressed not only by the way her thinking was reflected, but also by the way she managed the match overall and her shot tolerance. She says, expressing her happiness,”I’m just glad that despite Danielle’s actions across the net, I maintained my composure and played my game.”
Over the remaining five matches of the Indian Wells tournament, Świątek only dropped eighteen games. Świątek was the one holding the title trophy after the competition. She declared, “I am really proud of myself,” expressing her appreciation and delight over this victory. I’m overjoyed. She went on to say that she played with “a big amount of confidence” in the previous two sets, then reiterated her statement of satisfaction, “I’m really proud of myself.”
On the men’s side, Alcaraz’s path to the Indian Wells final was very different from Świątek’s, even though he ended up winning the title. One of his two closest matches was against 23-year-old Italian Matteo Arnaldi, ranked 38th in the world. The match ended in a final score of 6-7(5), 6-0, 6-1, and required two hours and fourteen minutes to complete. Alcaraz called his performance in the first half of the game “a surprise.” Despite the difficulty, he eventually won and was able to leave the court.
The second-closest match for Alcaraz came against his new opponent, Italy’s Jannik Sinner, who is ranked third in the world. The match ended with a final score of 1-6, 6-3, 6-2, and took two hours and five minutes. Sinner declared in a YouTube video that going up against Alcaraz is “always tough” before Alcaraz had a chance to comment on the match. Then he said that Alcaraz “raised his level” following the opening set. Finally, Sinner says, “I wish him good luck in the final,” expressing his respect for Alacraz. However, Alcaraz says of his victory and its meaning, saying, “I’m really happy to classify for another final.” It is really important to me.
In the BNP final, Medvedev lost against Alcaraz. “It is never easy,” he said, reflecting on what it takes to defend a title after the match. If it’s a Master 1000, the difficulty increases even further. After that, he gave a brief description of his last match, saying, “I’m really happy to show really good tennis.”
Świątek and Alcaraz dropped sets at the Miami Open, an ATP Tour Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 held from March 17–31. Tennis fans are eager to see both Świątek and Alcaraz thrive in the following clay court competitions in preparation for the second Grand Slam of the year, Roland Garros in late May, despite the fact that their defeats put an end to their potential accomplishments.