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BNP Paribas Open aka Indian Wells

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  • BNP Paribas Open aka Indian Wells

    And, they're off. Today is the first day of match play with the qualifying rounds starting this afternoon PST.
    I'll be there for the finals.

    Here is the order of play, at this link.
    Draws have not yet been held but will be at this link.
    Scores will be here.

    There is record prize money BUT the top prizes are actually reduced with more going to the first two rounds.

    The theme could be "The Return of the Golden Oldies": Djokovic back for first time in 5 years, Rafa back after missing last year with surgery, Venus Williams also back after five years, Sir Andy Murray back (in a possible swan song?), Caroline Wozniacki. I have expect to see Fed's name

    Attendance is expected to top 450,000 total. Last year an early round match between Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz sold out stadium one's 16,000 seats. An early round ! That's at a destination resort with modest local comparison (a plurality of attendees fly in). For comparison, Roland Garros, where Paris 2.1 million residents are a black cab or subway ride away draw 630,000 for three weeks last year.

    Here are some photos of players preparing at this link.

    With luck the unstable weather hitting California tames down. I've been at Indian Wells when it is 100 deg F, a cold drizzle, and even playing through sandstorms.

    For those punters handicapping this, a reminder that Indian Wells suffers from the slowest playing conditions of any hard court on tour. The courts are made extremely gritty, helping players with kick serves and topspin forehands, apparently in a mistaken belief balls travel faster in dense, often dry sea-level air. Another plague of pseudo-science doing damage.

  • #2
    Going through last year's photos to get myself psyched.

    Here is Medy, in the lower left, and left of the ESPN cameraman's head, streaking from the back wall to the net to get a Tiafoe drop shot. Classic Medy.
    .
    I like how Medy is also on the projection screen, center top so fans could see him when he "disappeared" near the back wall <g>

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    Last edited by jimlosaltos; 03-05-2024, 12:37 PM.

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    • #3
      Nice photo. It's always seemed a terrific venue and the tournament, outside of the slams, I would most like to go and see. The venue looks stunningly modern and spacious.
      Stotty

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      • #4
        Originally posted by stotty View Post
        Nice photo. It's always seemed a terrific venue and the tournament, outside of the slams, I would most like to go and see. The venue looks stunningly modern and spacious.
        I'd recommend it. In many ways it is one of the best run tournaments.

        Everything is very accessible. We stay in a hotel and take a shuttle bus to the event, which is only a 15 minute ride. And the shuttles run every 30 minutes. So you can leave and come back in the middle of the day. Imagine trying that at the US Open. Everything on site is a short walk away. Airport's a 20 minute ride share. We never rent a car any more.

        Their implementation of tickets in a phone app, and having everyone use NFL-style transparent tags, plus airport scanners, means even when 16,000 show up for the finals, the wait in line is negligible. You can resell your tickets on their site right next to the BNP direct tickets, with no fee for sellers or buyers. Catch is that you can't sell below face value there.

        Go on the early days, and you can get up close to the play on one of 8, is it, courts or nose up to the fence when they practice.

        Courts are ridiculously slow, tho No roof and weather can be all over the map. Nothing's perfect.

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        • #6

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          • #7

            Draws for the BNP Paribas Open aka Indian Wells were held last night. There are a few anomalies.

            Projected Men's Quarterfinals

            On seeding we have
            • No. 1 Novak Djokovic vs. No. 8 Hubert Hurkcacz
            • No. 4 Daniil Medvedev vs. No. 7 Holger Rune
            • No. 3 Jannik Sinner vs. No. 5 Andrey Rublev
            • No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz vs. No. 6 Sasha Zverev
            Djokovic vs. Medvedev are lined up to be one semifinal and Alcaraz vs. Sinner in the other. Personally, I'm hoping for some upsets so I can see some newbies in the quarters. I'd like to see Casper Ruud, whose spin-centric game should find this surface friendly, or one of the teen phenoms like Mensik or Fils barge into the second week.

            ​Djoko has his usual cupcake. Since Nadal is returning from hip surgery and missed much of 2023, he is unseeded and gets a tough-ish draw. It's better than it could have been, landing as Djokovic's or Alcaraz's first opponent. But he does draw Milos Raonic in his first match. Yes, Milos is well past his peak but the last thing a player lacking tournament competition wants to face first time out is a 140+ MPH serve. If Nadal wins, he earns a very tough second-round match against the No. 7 seed Holger Rune.


            Potential early round matches of interest: Murray vs. Rublev, Alcaraz vs. Auger-Aliassime

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            • #8
              Projected Women's Quarterfinals

              If form holds throughout the women's draw, this is how the quarterfinals line up.
              .
              No. 1 Iga Swiatek vs. No. 6 Ons Jabeur
              No. 4 Elena Rybakina vs. No. 7 Marketa Vondrousova
              No. 3 Coco Gauff vs. No. 8 Qinwen Zheng
              No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka vs. No. 5 Jessica Pegula



              Semifinals would be Swiatek vs. Rybakina in a battle of the two most recent champions, and Gauff vs. Sabalenka in the other half. The women have more potential disruptions to the seedings, given all the talented returnees. Is Naomi Osaka in tournament shape yet? Is recent champ Paula Badosa's back better? Was Zheng's Aussie finals showing the start of something? What's Woz got left in the tank?

              Possible early matches to look for: Two Indian Wells champs Badosa vs. Rybakina, Pegula vs. Pliskova, Azarenka vs. Zheng.

              Last edited by jimlosaltos; 03-05-2024, 12:35 PM.

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              • #9
                I have a hard time seeing Djokovic at nearly twice the odds of Sinner ( 175 vs 300) But then his draw, as seems inevitable, is much easier.

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                • #10


                  Very good article. The author talks about Joao Fonseca, the one handed backhand, and the Indian Wells draw.

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                  • #11
                    Today's first round of main draw matches of possible interest include:

                    * Sir Andy Murray vs David Goffin, who is now a qualifier.

                    * 16 yo Mira Andreeva vs Katie Volynets. Will teen phenom build on Aussie Open?

                    I find this line from Wikipedia amusing: "On her 16th birthday, she recorded her 16th professional win against another top-20 player, 17th seed Magda Linette, to reach the round of 16.​"

                    * Jakub Mensik vs S Hong. 18 yo Mensik has looked remarkable to start this year. Wins over Fokina, Murray, world # 5 Rublev, and Coric.

                    * Angie Kerber vs Peta Martic. Mainly to see how serious the multiple-slam winner is about making a post baby comeback.

                    By the way, there are seven (7) mothers entered in Indian wells: Osaka, Vika, Woz, Svitolina, Kerber, Tatiana Maria, Townsend,

                    “Let’s hear it for the working moms everybody!” These words rang out from tournament emcee Andrew Krasny during Monday’s BNP Paribas Open draw ceremony, as the


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                    • #12
                      Ben Nearly Gives Woz a Facial

                      Lefty kicker from Ben Shelton in the opening mixed doubles for charity surprises as it cuts in on Caroline Wozniacki, who has to duck, 9 second vid on UT.

                      I wondered when checking scores why so many players were getting 48% of their first serves in. Turns out strong wind and some rain ended up suspending play and sending the night matches from yesterday to today. Among those that got through early: Sir Andy, Angie Kerber, and Katie Volleynets topped Miira Andreeva in a "serve into the wind and see what happens" match.​

                      filedata/fetch?id=103606&d=1709832400&type=thumb

                      9 second vid:

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                      • #13
                        Since betting odds get posted here. this might be of interest.

                        Indian Wells has been historically a good tournament for Underdogs. Since 2010 to 2023 (1204 valid bets): • Yield Favourites: -4.4% • Yield Underdogs: +4.0%

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                        • #14
                          Originally posted by jimlosaltos View Post
                          Ben Nearly Gives Woz a Facial

                          Lefty kicker from Ben Shelton in the opening mixed doubles for charity surprises as it cuts in on Caroline Wozniacki, who has to duck, 9 second vid on UT.

                          I wondered when checking scores why so many players were getting 48% of their first serves in. Turns out strong wind and some rain ended up suspending play and sending the night matches from yesterday to today. Among those that got through early: Sir Andy, Angie Kerber, and Katie Volleynets topped Miira Andreeva in a "serve into the wind and see what happens" match.​

                          filedata/fetch?id=103606&d=1709832400&type=thumb

                          9 second vid:

                          I don't see how any women could return that thing. It is a vicious kick serve.

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                          • #15
                            Originally posted by stroke View Post

                            I don't see how any women could return that thing. It is a vicious kick serve.
                            It's very nasty. In Woz's defense, hardly anyone could handle that serve the very first time they ever saw it.
                            She's likely rarely, if ever, hit against a lefty serve like that. Imagine seeing that for the first time.

                            Certainly, nobody on WTA can replicate it, and I can't imagine any male that could hit it would be working as a hitting partner. If they could hit it, they'd be on tour themselves.
                            Last edited by jimlosaltos; 03-08-2024, 10:22 AM.

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