Indian Wells 1000 March 6th to March 16th

Indian Wells has come down to a final between the current world number 1, Aryna Sabalenka and potentially the next new world number 1 in Mirra Andreeva. It will be an interesting match to watch as for the past few weeks Mirra Andreeva has coped with every opponent she has faced. In theory Sabalenka will win but she will need her best tennis otherwise Andreeva may well outlast her over 3 sets. As the rest of the tour arrive in Miami, these two stars will slug it out for the title. It is going to be a fun watch:) Meanwhile the draw for Miami will be known before the final starts. This is where DTM will be concentrating his efforts to ensure there is a a repeat of his 80/1 Danielle Collins pick this time last year:) 

DTM was spot on with his views yesterday that at least one of his outsiders would win to guarantee a profit. Siniakova proved far too good for Putintseva. Begu could not quite finish off a rusty Boulter who to be fair finished off the 3rd set in style to prevent DTM making it 4 straight wins in a row. Saturday sees two event winners from recent weeks take each other on. Belinda Bencic is by far the more consistent and DTM expects her to win against Amanda Anisimova as a result especially as she has far better movement which will be important in Indian Wells.

DTM recommends

B.Bencic to beat A.Anisimova

DTM was back on it yesterday by finding both winners from his recommendations on a windy day in Indian Wells. Another player who may struggle on her first day back on court after an absence is Britain’s Katie Boulter. She isn’t a great slow court player and neither does her service action like the wind. Normally a strong option against a clay court specialist but results continue to generally favour consistency at this event. Quite a few players who are better on clay continue to win. Therefore let’s go for the outsiders who fit that category today :) If one of the two recommendations today wins you’re in profit. DTM is confident of at least one upset given the form of both players:) 

DTM recommends

I.Begu to beat K.Boulter

K.Siniakova to beat Y.Putintseva

S.Cirstea is a very experienced WTA player who has some very good form over the years on hard courts. She is also capable of some poor tennis so known for being inconsistent. DTM hopes the real Cirstea turns up today. She will beat the qualifier M.Joint if she does :) Bronzetti is the other player who DTM likes today. In far better form than Kalinina and on a favourable surface, the Italian is the sensible pick :)

DTM recommends 

S.Cirstea to beat M.Joint

L.Bronzetti to beat A.Kalinina 

The draw gives a few players the chance to go deep. Elena Rybakina is DTM’s proven top 10 player who is overdue to win an event. Having lost a series of close 3 set matches to the overall winners in 3 big events already this season, Rybakina could easily have won one or more titles already. Madison Keys who won the Australian Open. Belinda Bencic who won in Abu Dhabi and Mirra Andreeva who recently won in Dubai all beat Rybakina in tight matches on the way to their titles. 

If she can get past Andreeva in the last 16 DTM can see a repeat of 2023:) Karolina Muchova is a tough opponent for Iga Swiatek to get past even before a potential semi final with Rybakina. Elena Rybakina is a sensible option to make her first final this season :) In the top half a full tuned up Aryna Sabalenka should be fairly comfortable to reach at least the last 4. Her first match against Kessler will be a good barometer of the world #1’s form. The second section is very loaded with some in form players. Madison Keys, Emma Navarro, Belinda Bencic and Amanda Anisimova are all proven winners already this season and we have yet to mention Coco Gauff ! DTM expects that the winner of Navarro and Keys could play a part in the latter stages of the event. Overall DTM sees a top 10 ranked player winning in Indian Wells. A few shocks are likely on route to the semi finals but this WTA 1000 event looks set for a big name winner :) 

In the early rounds DTM can see Sofia Kenin making a good run. Ashlyn Krueger also has the opportunity to step up and make a run in her section of the draw. A lot depends on the speed of the courts. A new surface but the same conditions. After watching the first few days of action it appears to be an event with no strong bias. Given the updated surface this is probably what the event and the tour wanted. Iga Swiatek is not favoured by the change but Rybakina is. Reaching the final looks very possible as does winning the event. An each way investment at 9-1 guarantees a decent return if all goes to plan :)

DTM recommends 

Elena Rybakina each way Indian Wells

Madison Keys is back and her winning run is therefore still going :) DTM advice is to not commit any investment to winning this event until you have watched round 1. A new court surface will potentially help the big hitters like Keys and Rybakina but the air conditions will still remain so it’s an unknown? On first glance slower conditions would suit the players who did well in Doha. However a watching brief remains until the end of this week. Kvitova v Gracheva will be a useful insight into court conditions and which style of play will be favoured. Sherif v Wang is another useful barometer as both matches see a slower court favoured player against a fast court specialist:)  Later on in the draw there are some interesting match ups that could materialise:) 

The biggest names on the WTA tour have now headed west to America to play two big events back to back. Starting in Indian Wells, March is an important month. With Madison Keys finally back to competitive action after her first grand slam title and several other top names with plenty to prove, this month is very much one to watch :) Indian Wells is usually a slow hard court surface. But this year it has been changed to the same compound as used in Miami. Qualifying results suggest that the conditions are still slower than Miami simply because of the air and playing at altitude! The reigning champion Iga Swiatek has dominated in recent seasons. However her invincibility has waned over the past 9 months. DTM is not convinced her serve is good enough at present, even on a slow surface to cope with players who stay consistent throughout a match. It will be important for the Pole to find some form soon. Other players who should be considered are those with proven hard court form on a slower surface. Can Ostapenko and or Anisimova have strong performances again?