The 1000-point season on the WTA Tour is off to a relatively unexpected start, with Karolina Muchova lifting the trophy in Doha before Jessica Pegula triumphed in Dubai.
Now that the calendar shifts to March, another pair of 1000-pointers is in the cards. It’s the Sunshine Double on U.S. hard courts in Indian Wells and Miami. Up first is the BNP Paribas Open, where all hands are on deck. Aryna Sabalenka is the top seed, followed by Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, and Amanda Anisimova. Three different women have won it the past three years — Rybakina, Swiatek, and Mirra Andreeva.
Here are my best bets for the 2026 Indian Wells WTA 1000.
Iga Swiatek (+750)
Over the past 12 years, a whopping 11 different women have captured the Indian Wells title. The only player who has won it twice? Swiatek, in 2022 and 2024. The second-ranked Pole has not lost prior to the semifinals in the desert since 2021. On her way to the 2024 trophy, Swiatek did not drop a single set and no set was closer than 6-4. Such dominance at this particular tournament is no real surprise. It’s not exactly clay, but these hard courts are as close to the red stuff as you can get. Conditions are right up Swiatek’s alley, so she should be in line for more success in Indian Wells even if the 24-year-old hasn’t been in peak form this season.
Coco Gauff (+1200)
From the back of the court, Gauff is arguably the best player in the world right now. Her serve, though, might be the worst in the top 100. The fourth-ranked American quite simply has the yips, double-faulting all over the place in almost all of her matches. At times, she is good enough to get away with it. And that may be the case in Indian Wells, where the serve is rarely a dominant shot. Because it plays so much like clay, breaks are frequent for almost everyone. Case in point: Gauff won her opening match last year despite hitting a ridiculous 21 double-faults. She has reached at least the fourth round three straight times, including the semis in 2024.
Amanda Anisimova (+1600)
Anisimova’s draw is not as favorable as that of Gauff, who would not face Sabalenka until the semis and Swiatek until the final (Anisimova could meet Sabalenka in the quarters). Still, there is no opponent that the sixth-ranked American can’t handle at the moment. She twice finished runner-up at Grand Slams in 2025 (Wimbledon and the U.S. Open) and her 2026 campaign already features a quarterfinal effort in Melbourne and a semifinal showing in Dubai. Although Anisimova has never done much in Tennis Paradise, conditions should actually be quite good for her game. At relatively long odds, Anisimova has great value.
who ya got?
Default pick on slow courts Swiatek
But has Sakkari early on, and I dont trust Gauff, so going with trend of different winners,Saba due her first
R16: Sabalenka over Osaka, Mboko over Anisimova, Eala over Noskova, Gibson over Paolini, Bencic over Pegula, Rybakina over Kartal, Svitolina over Sinakova, Swiatek over Muchova
QF: Sabalenka over Mboko, Eala over Gibson, Bencic over Rybakina, Swiatek over Svitolina
SF: Sabalenka over Eala, Swiatek over Bencic
F: Swiatek over Sabalenka