Taylor Fritz (L) and Iga Swiatek /CGTN
American Taylor Fritz, ranked a career-best No. 5 in the world, begins his title defense at Indian Wells this week, with top-ranked Iga Swiatek facing a potential third-round showdown with 2019 champion Bianca Andreescu.
Fritz battled through excruciating pain to end Rafael Nadal's 20-match winning run and claim his first Masters 1000 championship last year, and will hope for another fairy-tale finish after the main draw was announced on Monday.
Facing a depleted men's field, he could still run into Denmark's Holger Rune in the quarter-finals. The seventh-seed Rune also won his first Masters title in 2022 when he outlasted 22-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic in Paris.
Jannik Sinner of Italy practices ahead of the start of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, U.S., March 6, 2023. /CFP
Red-hot Russian Daniil Medvedev, who collected his third straight title in Dubai last weekend, is on a collision course to meet third-seeded Norwegian Casper Ruud in the final eight, while Spain's top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz could face Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime at the same stage.
World No. 1 Djokovic withdrew from the tournament on Sunday due to his COVID-19 vaccination status to enter the U.S., and Nadal, who aggravated a hip problem in his second-round loss at the Australian Open and has not played since, also pulled out.
Djokovic, the record 22-time Grand Slam champion, would have been a heavy favorite to win his sixth Indian Wells title when the tournament kicks off in California on Wednesday.
Coco Gauff of the United States practices at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in California, U.S., March 7, 2023. /CFP
On the women's side, Swiatek looks as though she could have little trouble collecting a second straight title in the southern California desert after cruising to victory a year ago amid a blockbuster unbeaten streak.
She could meet WTA Finals champion Caroline Garcia in the quarter-finals after beginning her campaign against either American Claire Liu or Belgian Alison van Uytvanck, with Canadian Andreescu also enjoying the first-round bye.
Fresh off her maiden Grand Slam win in Australia, second seed Aryna Sabalenka will face either Alize Cornet or Evgeniya Rodina first up.
She has the chance to exact a little bit of revenge against potential fourth-round foe Barbora Krejcikova, after the 2021 French Open winner ended her 13-match winning streak in Dubai in February.
China's Wu Yibing poses with the Lamar Hunt Trophy after winning the Dallas Open in Texas, U.S., February 12, 2023. /CFP
For Chinese players, Zhang Shuai, Zhu Lin, Wang Xinyu and Wang Xiyu will compete in the women's singles event, while world No. 93 Zhang Zhizhen and 18-year-old Shang Juncheng will fight for a berth in the event through qualifiers, after they beat their opponents respectively in the first round.
China's first ATP champion Wu Yibing, No. 67, will clash against world No. 58 Spaniard Jaume Munar at Indian Wells.
(With input from Reuters)