Indian Wells 2015 Draw: Results, Player Seedings, Brackets and Twitter Reaction
Outside of the Grand Slams, no tournament is bigger in tennis than Indian Wells, where the top men and women all gather to compete for a huge title.
Below, we'll take a look at the top seeds, the draws and offer predictions for which players will come out on top.
Women's Draw
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The full draw can be found at BNPParibasOpen.com.
| 1 | Serena Williams |
| 2 | Maria Sharapova |
| 3 | Simona Halep |
| 4 | Caroline Wozniacki |
| 5 | Ana Ivanovic |
| 6 | Eugenie Bouchard |
| 7 | Agnieszka Radwanska |
| 8 | Ekaterina Makarova |
| 9 | Andrea Petkovic |
| 10 | Lucie Safarova |
| 11 | Sara Errani |
| 12 | Carla Suarez Navarro |
| 13 | Angelique Kerber |
| 14 | Karolina Pliskova |
| 15 | Flavia Pennetta |
| 16 | Madison Keys |
Serena Williams' quarterfinal bracket seems like smooth sailing. A potential fourth-round matchup against Angelique Kerber could be tricky, while a quarterfinal matchup against either Ekaterina Makarova or Lucie Safarova could be a challenge. Still, Williams would be expected to win any of those matches.
Even the semifinals should be a breeze for Williams, with Agnieszka Radwanska and Simona Halep looking like the biggest threats.
Of course, the biggest story is simply the return of Williams to the tournament, per Ben Rothenberg of The New York Times:
Williams wrote about the events that caused her to skip the tournament for over a decade in an article for Time last month:
"The tournament in Indian Wells, Calif., held a special place in my heart. I won my first pro match there in 1997, alongside my sister in doubles. I then sat and watched Venus qualify for the singles event and make a magical run all the way to the quarterfinals. It was a giant win not only for her but also for our whole family, and it marked the beginning of a new era that we were unknowingly writing. My first big tournament win also happened there, when I beat Steffi Graf in the ’99 final.
When I arrived at Indian Wells in 2001, I was looking to take another title. I was ready. But however ready I was, nothing could have prepared me for what happened in the final. As I walked out onto the court, the crowd immediately started jeering and booing. In my last match, the semifinals, I was set to play my sister, but Venus had tendinitis and had to pull out. Apparently that angered many fans.
"
Now she's back. Hopefully the reception is positive from both the fans and Williams.
In the third quarter, Caroline Wozniacki and Eugenie Bouchard will be the favorites, though CoCo Vandeweghe, Andrea Petkovic and Madison Keys, among others, could all play spoiler. Whichever player survives arguably the most stacked quarter will likely have either Ana Ivanovic, Sara Errani, Flavia Pennetta, Victoria Azarenka or Maria Sharapova awaiting them.
A potential third-round matchup between Sharapova and a healthy, in-form Azarenka could be truly intriguing. SI Tennis on Twitter is anticipating that matchup:
In the end, though, this tournament feels like it will be all about Williams.
Prediction: Serena Williams wins
Men's Draw
The full draw can be found at BNPParibasOpen.com.
| 1 | Novak Djokovic |
| 2 | Roger Federer |
| 3 | Rafael Nadal |
| 4 | Andy Murray |
| 5 | Kei Nishikori |
| 6 | Milos Raonic |
| 7 | Stan Wawrinka |
| 8 | David Ferrer |
| 9 | Tomas Berdych |
| 10 | Marin Cilic |
| 11 | Grigor Dimitrov |
| 12 | Feliciano Lopez |
| 13 | Gilles Simon |
| 14 | Ernests Gulbis |
| 15 | Roberto Bautista Agut |
| 16 | Kevin Anderson |
As usual, the expectation will be that Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray will be the foursome making up the semifinals.
Sure, maybe David Ferrer will give the Djoker a run for his money in the quarters. Maybe Kei Nishikori can knock out Murray. Perhaps Milos Raonic can knock off Nadal. Stan Wawrinka or Tomas Berdych are capable of upsetting Federer.
But c'mon—we all expect the Big Four to meet in the semifinals of any tournament. Of course, Federer might just have bigger fish to fry at this point in his career, per NYT Sports on Twitter:
That must be what you get for the man who already has everything. Don't expect him to nab Indian Wells, however—on this hard court, look for Djokovic to take the win.
Prediction: Novak Djokovic wins
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