The Sunshine Double begins on Wednesday as the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells gets under way, with live coverage on Sky Sports. British No 1 Jack Draper returns fit and aiming to defend the title he won last year.
Draper, the 14th seed, missed much of 2025 with an arm injury that also delayed his 2026 start. He beat Holger Rune in last year’s final and famously recovered from a 6-0 second set to beat Carlos Alcaraz in the semis. Draper has had a mixed warm-up since returning: he lost in Dubai to Arthur Rinderknech in three sets in his second match back. All seeds begin in round two, so Draper will start there and could meet third seed Novak Djokovic in the last 16. The first round starts Wednesday; Sky Sports begins coverage at 7pm UK. The tournament runs through March 15.
On the women’s side, Mirra Andreeva is the defending champion after beating Aryna Sabalenka in 2025.
British entrants
– Men: Jack Draper (14) leads the British men. Former champion Cameron Norrie is back as the 27th seed, and unseeded Jacob Fearnley opens against Damir Džumhur on Thursday.
– Women: Emma Raducanu, reunited with coach Mark Petchey, is seeded 25th and will start in round two. She also makes her Indian Wells debut in Uniqlo after switching from Nike. Sonay Kartal and Fran Jones begin in round one; Jones could face world No 2 Iga Świątek if she reaches the same section. Katie Boulter fell in qualifying to Victoria Jiménez Kasintseva and did not make the main draw.
Top names and storylines
Carlos Alcaraz reclaimed the world No 1 spot at the end of 2025 and added the Australian Open to his major tally — his seventh Grand Slam, which completed a career Grand Slam at just 22. Alcaraz is a two-time Indian Wells champion (2023, 2024) but was stopped by Draper in last year’s semis.
Jannik Sinner returns after accepting a three-month ban in a settlement with WADA; he missed Indian Wells last year. His best results at this event are semi-final runs in 2023 and 2024, both ended by Alcaraz. Novak Djokovic is a five-time Indian Wells winner, although his last title there was 2016; he suffered a shock second-round exit to Botic van de Zandschulp last year.
On the women’s side, Andreeva is seeded eighth and will meet either Peyton Stearns or Solana Sierra in round two. Sabalenka has been runner-up twice at Indian Wells, losing to Elena Rybakina in 2023 and to Andreeva in 2025. Iga Świątek, a two-time champion (2022, 2024), will be chasing a third title.
Medvedev, Rublev and travel disruption
Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev experienced travel disruption leaving Dubai amid an intensifying Middle East crisis. Medvedev, who collected the Dubai title after Tallon Griekspoor withdrew from the final, had planned to play an exhibition Tie Break Tens event before Indian Wells. Flights were cancelled and he reposted a Russian report confirming he was safe. Medvedev, seeded 11th, is scheduled to play his first singles match on Friday; Rublev, seeded 17th, also has a first match pencilled in for Friday.
Why Indian Wells matters
The BNP Paribas Open is widely considered tennis’s unofficial fifth major because of its prestige, large crowds and importance on both tours. It is a Masters 1000 event on the ATP and a WTA 1000 event — the tier directly below the Grand Slams — and it is the first ATP Masters 1000 of the season. The Miami Open completes the Sunshine Double from March 17-29, and is also a 1000-level tournament.
2026 Indian Wells prize money and points
Winner — ATP 1000 / WTA 1000 — $1,151,380
Finalist — 650 / 650 — $612,340
Semi-finalists — 400 / 390 — $340,190
Quarter-finalists — 200 / 215 — $193,645
4th round — 100 / 120 — $105,720
3rd round — 50 / 65 — $61,865
2nd round — 30 / 35 — $36,110
1st round — 10 / 10 — $24,335
How to watch
Watch the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells live on Sky Sports from March 4-15. You can also stream matches contract-free via NOW.