Indian Wells: Andy Murray, Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina in action at the unofficial fifth major | Tennis News

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Here’s everything you need to know about Indian Wells, including the draw, who’s playing and the schedule. You can watch all the drama unfold live on Sky Sports.

Live coverage the BNP Paribas Open continues on Friday from 7pm, with Andy Murray in action in the second round at 9pmlive on Sky Sports Tennis.

Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner begins his campaign on Friday night, while world No 1 Iga Swiatek is also in action along with defending champions Carlos Alcaraz and Elena Rybakina.

Friday's order of play at Indian Wells


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Friday 8th March 7:00pm


Which Brits are in action

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Murray breaks down his win over David Goffin and looks ahead to his next match against Andrey Rublev on Friday

Murray will take on No 5 seed Andrey Rublev in the second round on Friday after winning his opening match against qualifier David Goffin.

“Rublev is one of the best players in the world. He’s been in the top 10 for the last few seasons,” said Murray.

“He’s a huge hitter of the ball from both sides of the court, one of the most relentless, power hitters, and you leave anything short on the court he’s going to punish, so a really good test for me.”

British men’s No 1 and 2021 champion here, Cameron Norrie, will start his tournament on Saturday against Lorenzo Sonego after receiving a bye through to the second round due to being seeded No 28.

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Highlights of Emma Raducanu’s first-round match against Rebeka Masarova

Emma Raducanu moved into the second round with victory in straight-sets over Rebeka Masarova on Thursday.

The 21-year-old, given a wild card at this tournament, set up a meeting with Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska as she got past Spanish qualifier Masarova 6-2 6-3.

Looking ahead to Raducanu’s match with Yastremska on Saturday, Sky Sports’ Laura Robson said: “There’s going to be some heavy hitting. It’s going to be a match where you’re not going to get much rhythm from Yastremska because it’s going to be a winner or an error.

“I think in some ways you know what you’re going to get but if you’re overthink a few of your shots then you’re going to get exposed. It’s going to be a fun one.”

The Brits who have gone out

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Dan Evans lost his temper, smashing his racket in defeat to Roman Safiullin

Katie Boulter and Jack Draper both suffered disappointing first-round exits on Wednesday, the former falling in straight sets to Camila Giorgi 6-3 6-2. Draper went down 1-6 6-3 6-2 to Christopher O’Connell.

Dan Evans suffered a tough 1-6 7-5 6-2 defeat against Roman Safiullin on Thursday after struggling with a shoulder problem.

Which other big names are competing in California?

Carlos Alcaraz holds the championship trophy after winning the finals of the BNP Paribas Open tennis in Indian Wells
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Carlos Alcaraz holds the championship trophy after winning in Indian Wells last year

Novak Djokovic gets set to return at Indian Wells, while Australian Open champions Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka are also in action in ‘Tennis Paradise’.

Carlos Alcaraz, who won the men’s tournament last year, defending women’s champion Elena Rybakina and No 1 seed Iga Swiatek all begin their tournaments on Friday.

What’s the schedule? You can catch all the action on Sky Sports Tennis

Wednesday, March 6 – Men’s and women’s singles first round
Thursday, March 7 – Men’s and women’s singles first round
Friday, March 8 – Men’s and women’s singles second round
Saturday, March 9 – Men’s and women’s singles second round
Sunday, March 10 – Men’s and women’s singles third round
Monday, March 11 – Men’s and women’s singles third round
Tuesday, March 12 – Men’s and women’s singles fourth round
Wednesday, March 13 – Men’s and women’s singles fourth round
Thursday, March 14 – Men’s and women’s singles quarter-finals
Friday, March 15 – Women’s singles semi-finals, men’s doubles final
Saturday, March 16 – Men’s singles semi-finals, women’s doubles final
Sunday, March 17 – Men’s and women’s singles finals

Where is Indian Wells?

Indian Wells Tennis Garden amid the global coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, Saturday, May 17, 2020, in Indian Wells, Calif. The IWTG contains 29 tennis courts, including a 16,100-seat Stadium 1, 11 match courts, six practice courts, and two Har-Tru clay courts on 88 acres (360,000 m). Stadium 1 is the second largest tennis-specific stadium in the world. (Kirby Lee via AP)

Having played host to the tournament every year since its opening in 1974, the Indian Wells Tennis Garden is located near Palm Springs, California, in the Coachella Valley.

Alongside its 16,100-capacity centre court – the second largest tennis-specific stadium in the world – the complex also boasts 29 hard-courts.

Who are the reigning champions?

Elena Rybakina won Indian Wells in 2023
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Elena Rybakina won the women’s tournament last year

Men’s singles – Carlos Alcaraz
Women’s singles – Elena Rybakina
Men’s doubles – Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden
Women’s doubles – Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova

How to watch play on Sky Sports Tennis

The stars of tennis will appear on the new Sky Sports Tennis channel every day
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The stars of tennis will appear on the new Sky Sports Tennis channel every day

Sky Sports has confirmed a new home for tennis in the UK and Ireland, with Sky Sports Tennis on Sky and NOW, making tennis content available all day, every day for fans.

Sky Sports will broadcast more live tennis than anywhere else, bringing over 4,000 matches from more than 80 tournaments a year on the ATP and WTA Tours, as well as full coverage of the US Open, all exclusively live.

Non-Sky subscribers can stream live matches with a NOW Sports Day and Month Membership, via Sky Sports Tennis, Sky Sports Arena, and Sky Sports Mix channels.

For further access, fans will also be able to follow their favourite players and gain deeper insights from both Tours via Sky Sports News, the Sky Sports app, on SkySports.com and via Sky Sports social channels.

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