The new WTA doubles partnership which was created in late 2017 pairing world no. 1 Latisha Chan and Andrea Hlavackova Sestini has been abandoned. Chan and Hlavackova are now playing with different partners in Indian Wells, Chan with younger sister Hao Chin and Hlavackova with Monica Niculescu. Chan and Hlavackova did not win any titles together earlier this year and apparently decided to part ways.
Su-Wei Hsieh, another former WTA no. 1 player also has a new partner – Barbora Strycova.
Serena Williams returns to singles action in Indian Wells against Zarina Diyas, who she has beaten twice in two meetings, 75 63 in Miami in 2016 and 62 60 in Indian Wells three years ago.
Qualifier Amanda Anisimova, 16, plays 32-year-old Pauline Parmentier in the first round. The US Open junior girls champion has been talked about by insiders since she was 12 years old and could make a breakout this year.
Maria Sharapova has been back in action for a year since returning to the WTA after the drug ban but she’s still ranked a surprisingly mediocre 41 in the world. Most experts blame Sharapova’s injuries for the substandard results but maybe the Russian has lost a fraction of speed, agility, timing and confidence. First round opponent Naomi Osaka, at age 20 is ten years her junior. This will be their first meeting. Sharapova has won 36 singles titles and over $37,000,000 in prize money.
A new player to keep an eye on is 19-year-old Caroline Dolehide, a wildcard. Dolehide is six-foot-four inches tall and plays a power game. Dolehide meets American Shelby Rogers in today’s opener.
Marcelo Rios won the Indian Wells title 20 years ago. No plans have been announced by tournament director Tommy Haas about if there will be a ceremony to commemorate the 20-year anniversary. Haas is friendly with Rios since their Bollettieri Academy days. It was reported that Haas asked Rios to serve as his coach last year though Rios declined that opportunity.
Taylor Fritz vs Reilly Opelka first round match will be the third meeting between the two friendly young Americans. Fritz won both meetings 63 76 in Newport Beach this year and 76 64 at a Futures in Spain in 2015.
Roger Federer will debut a new Nike shoe. After several years of using Nike Vapor variations, Federer will wear a new shoe called Vapor RF Air Max 95 which appears to be a spin off of a popular Nike cross trainer Air Max from the 90s.
Martin Klizan did not qualify for the main draw – he lost to Evan King in the qualies – but he has a new coach in former ATP top 12 player Dominik Hrbaty.
Donald Young is on the verge of falling out of the top 100. Ranked 99 now, Young has drawn Borna Coric in the first round. Coric is 2-0 vs Young, both were three set matches in Winston Salem and Halle. If Young loses he will drop out of the top 100 as he won a round in the desert last year (def. Kozlov).
A very interesting first round clash will be Steve Johnson vs Daniil Medvedev. The two had a very volatile match last year in Washington DC involving gamesmanship by the Russian and angry verbal criticisms of it by Johnson. Johnson was serving late in the second set and on the changeover, pardon, after the changeover, Medvedev decided he needed an injury timeout. This angered Johnson who was then broken. Johnson then lost the second set 64 and then the third set 76. The two also had words at the final handshake. Medvedev is 2-0 career vs Johnson.
Jack Sock has an interesting draw. He will play either Thomas Fabbiano or Bradley Klahn first match and then Ernesto Escobedo or Frances Tiafoe winner vs the Feliciano Lopez in the next round. Sock has already lost to young Americans Opelka and Escobedo this year.
Tennys Sandgren, 59 in the world, plays Nikoloz Basilashvili first round. Sandgren is 2-0 vs Basilashvili, with a three set win at a Futures in Dominican Republic in 2009 and a straight set win last year in a Challenger in Prostejov.
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Chazz · March 7, 2018 at 3:01 pm
Dolehide is 6’4″? Really?
Dan Markowitz · March 7, 2018 at 3:33 pm
Whatever happened to Samantha Crawford, who did so well last year in Brisbane? She’s like 6-2 and hits a big ball. I thought she might be the next Lindsay Davenport.
If Sock loses to Tiafoe if Foe beats Ernesto, that will be quite a Next Gen American hat trick for the Kansasan, Opelka, Escobedo and Big Foe. I mean really, for a guy who came into the year as no. 8 to lose to Gojo, Sugita too, he’s 1-5 on the year. If I were Sock, I’d can Berger and plead with Johnny Mac to be my coach. He needs a swift kick in the butt and some Johnny Mac tongue-lashing. It’s a joke he’s still no. 10.
Scoop Malinowski · March 7, 2018 at 3:44 pm
Crawford won a match at IW Qs last year defeating Sasnovich then lost to Ozaki 76 (5) in the third and then lost six straight first rounds at ITFs. She has not played a match since Nov last year. Last match was a retirement at 5-5 in Waco against Julia Vulpio of France. Could be injured. Could be disheartened. Hopefully she will get back. She’s ranked 712 now.
Hartt · March 7, 2018 at 9:50 pm
All 3 Canuck ATP players won their qualies matches today, so Felix, Pospisil and Polansky will join Shapo and Milos in the main draw.
Duke Carnoustie · March 7, 2018 at 10:19 pm
Wow FAA draws Pospisil in an all-qualifier matchup. Insane draw. And the winner gets who? Raonic! More insanity or is it a conspiracy?
JD draws Evan King. Intriguing matchup between players with unusual styles.
In other Canadian news, Bouchard gets stomped by Vickery. Bencic over Babos in a 3rd-set TB as we await Shazza v. Osaka.
Hartt · March 7, 2018 at 10:46 pm
Oh no, I can’t believe this! In what crazy universe do Felix and Vashy have to play each other in the first round?
dan markowitz · March 8, 2018 at 12:58 am
I know it’s un pc to say so,, but this Dolehide, who I’ve never heard of before, has the biggest chest I’ve ever seen on a women’s athlete.
NOW ONTO other news, I like this Osaka, she takes no prisoners. Bouchard is just incredible. Has there ever been a bigger fall from grace in an athlete?
How about Bagdhatis just stomping his way through the qualms? Evan King beating Dudi so badly, what was it love and 3. I didn’t see that coming.
The night crowd at IW is about as noisy and amped a crowd as the fans at the NY Open. They should just let in anyone under 70 to come into the IW stadium at night.
catherine · March 8, 2018 at 2:14 am
Maria is finished – same as Bouchard. But both have their millions to soften the fall.
Osaka is benefitting from Sascha Bajun’s coaching it seems.
I’ve never heard of Dolehide before either. I suspect her build will go against her in the women’s game.
catherine · March 8, 2018 at 2:58 am
Osaka has a mini-Serena type game but she’ll have to develop more variety in order to beat shrewder players.
I’m feeling sorry for Torben Beltz – sacked by Kerber last year when she fell in the rankings and hired by Vekic who seems unlikely to rise in them.
Expect Torben back on the market by the autumn.
Hartt · March 8, 2018 at 6:00 am
I had forgotten that Sascha was working with Osaka. She said she has been working on her mental game and that played an important role in her win last night.
scoopmalinowski · March 8, 2018 at 7:02 am
Bouchard works hard but the results dont happen. Shes Kournikova without the doubles success.
catherine · March 8, 2018 at 8:20 am
Genie just doesn’t have the talent. If she had it would’ve shown by now.
Scoop Malinowski · March 8, 2018 at 8:39 am
Catherine, I disagree. Bouchard was a top junior and actually reached a Wimbledon final and other very good results. That grudge match singles win vs Maria was also impressive. But she’s fizzled out. Maybe she earned too much money and lost the urgency and desire and the priority now is something else like just enjoying life and the tour or maybe she’s hunting for love. The glamour of the tour life and the pressures to win and maintain ranking drive a lot of young women away – Capriati, Marino, Kournikova, Harkleroad, Dokic, Lucic, Larcher De Brito, Crawford, Zvonareva, Oudin, etc.
Hartt · March 8, 2018 at 8:59 am
Actually, the sad thing about Bouchard is not that she is not focused on tennis but that she is focused on it and still is getting poor results. I think her big problem is that she is either unwilling or unable to change her game style, to add new dimensions. The take the ball super early, be very aggressive and go for the lines worked 4 years ago, but it is not working now. Unless she is willing to play with more margin from the beginning of the match (she started to do that last night in the 2nd set, but it was too late), her results won’t change dramatically.
Sachia was not great in the first set, but Genie made so many UFEs that it did not matter. Then, when Genie played better in the 2nd set, Sachia raised her level. And she showed some variety, for ex. a couple terrific lobs.
I hope this is the end of WCs for Genie. That is not doing her any favours. She needs to play the qualies, like a regular player outside the top 100 would. If she could actually play a few matches she might start to play better. But she needs to get her head around the fact that she is no longer a top player, but someone not even in the top 100.
At least with the court case finally resolved she can plan her schedule without having to be in New York. And trainer Scott Byrnes is back on her team, a good sign.
Scoop Malinowski · March 8, 2018 at 9:18 am
Bouchard could use some coaching help from Spadea who dropped like a sack of potatoes down the rankings after losing 1R over 20 tournaments in a row. She tried playing low level ITFs, didn’t work. She’s tried different coaches, not working. Maybe she’s burnt out. Maybe the tour has passed her by. Maybe she can turn into doubles or mixed doubles specialist.
Joe Blow · March 8, 2018 at 9:35 am
Bouchard = Hantuchova
Hartt · March 8, 2018 at 9:49 am
I can only remember Genie in one low level ITF where, I think, she lost to Duval.
I am not really a fan. I suppose I follow Bouchard mainly because she is Canadian. But that said, I think it is too early to write her off completely. She started with Harold Solomon as her coach last year. And, as I wrote before, Scott Byrnes is back as her trainer. A consistent, solid team would be a good first step.
catherine · March 8, 2018 at 10:02 am
Scoop – that’s more or less what I meant. At the age she is, Genie should not have so many provisos attached to her re results etc. If the basic talent is there, it will show, and apart from her W’don final it really hasn’t. And I agree with Hartt – no more WCs.
I imagine her colleagues don’t rate her highly either. Genie in the draw is usually a free pass to the next round.
All those things you mention are peripherals – if you have the true talent and the burning desire nothing will drive you away. Only injury.
Scoop Malinowski · March 8, 2018 at 10:11 am
Bouchard is still in doubles with Stephens, she enjoys playing with Stephens, they first played last summer in Washington DC. The union seemed to help spark Sloane, maybe now it can spark Bouchard. That they still like to play together is a good sign. The spark to Bouchard’s sinking career can come from anything at anytime. if I were Bouchard’s agent, I’d hire Lloyd Carroll to take the redeye to IW and call her “a journeywoman” at her next press conference 🙂 Lloyd Carroll saved Fish’s career by calling him a journeyman at a US Open press conference. Fish even gave Carroll credit.
catherine · March 8, 2018 at 10:23 am
I agree re the doubles. Now she and Stephens should stick to that but I can’t see Sloane doing so if she has ambitions in singles. These days great doubles teams are generally players who aren’t going after the big singles titles.
‘Journeywoman’ unfortunately doesn’t have quite the same ring to it as ‘journeyman’ 🙂
Hartt · March 8, 2018 at 11:09 am
I agree we shouldn’t be too quick to give players an excuse, but Tom Tebbutt, in his Tennis Canada piece today had some interesting quotes from Genie. She felt she had gone into the match unprepared, partly because of the court case, and partly because she had her wisdom teeth out last week. She talked about having to get over the court case emotionally and mentally.
She does understand she needs a lot more match play. She is planning on playing the qualies for Miami (hopefully she does not get a WC), then Charleston and Bogota. She also said she is keen to play Fed Cup in April.
Scoop Malinowski · March 8, 2018 at 11:13 am
Hartt, I also read some interesting quotes by Bouchard reported by Ubi Scanagatta. Ubi said Bouchard told him she felt a little full vs Vickery after eating one too many oatmeal cookies and that a mosquito bite on her arm was bothering her also 🙂
JG · March 8, 2018 at 3:40 pm
Fritz does not look happy playing Opelka, he saved a match point and barely won the 2nd set after losing the first, you have to wonder if these 2 good friends will put the friendship on back burner for a while while they are playing–I think its affecting Fritz’ play, he’s conflicted.
Scoop Malinowski · March 8, 2018 at 3:48 pm
jg; I’m watching it too and it’s lacking intensity. But later on Johnson vs Medvedev is a grudge match and it will make up for this. Both Opelka and Fritz are playing well, I project the winner of this match to win a few rounds. Gotta go with Fritz right now, having survived the mini break in the tiebreaker on a bad miss by Opelka into the net with a wide open court.