Indian Wells Tournament Begins: Garcia Upsets Pera in First Round

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — The WTA 1000 tournament at Indian Wells kicked off Wednesday with the first round matches. Iga Swiatek, the world’s No. 2, will face Caroline Garcia, who secured her first win against American Bernarda Pera, dominating the match 6-3, 6-4.

Garcia’s victory marked a significant turnaround after three previous losses to Pera. ‘It feels great to get back to winning,’ said Garcia, who is looking to maintain momentum against Swiatek. The Polish player has won four of their five previous encounters.

Another French contender, Varvara Gracheva, also advanced after a hard-fought three-set match against Czech player Marketa Vondrousova. Gracheva, who returned to competition recently after becoming a mother, triumphed with scores of 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Looking ahead to the second round, Garcia will take on Swiatek, while Gracheva faces off against Petra Kvitova, a wildcard entrant who previously won the tournament twice. Kvitova recently made headlines by winning her first WTA 1000 title in Dubai.

Among the notable results, Japanese star Naomi Osaka faced a disappointing defeat against Colombian Camila Osorio, falling 6-4, 6-4. This was Osaka’s first match since the Australian Open, and she cited the lack of match rhythm as a contributing factor to her performance.

‘I’m disappointed with how I played. I had over 50 unforced errors,’ Osaka commented post-match. In a reflective moment on her Instagram account, she added, ‘This was the worst match I’ve played in my career. I apologize to those who watched.’

Peyton Stearns also lost to Poland’s Magda Linette with a score of 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, as Linette advanced to face Jessica Pegula. Meanwhile, Victoria Azarenka defeated rising American talent Clervie Ngounoue, winning with scores of 6-4, 7-6(7) to set up a second-round showdown against Qinwen Zheng.

The Indian Wells tournament, often dubbed the “paradise of tennis,” runs from March 5 to 16 and is a highlight on the women’s tennis calendar. French players Caroline Garcia and Varvara Gracheva aim to uphold their country’s hopes in the competition.

Fans can follow the WTA 1000 event on beIN Sports in France, with coverage beginning daily from 20:00 CEST.