BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells 2026: Preview, draws, how to watch, player list & UK TV times
• 3 minute read
The sunshine swing is here with the first of back-to-back WTA and ATP 1000 events taking place in USA – the BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells.
Often referred to as the ‘fifth Grand Slam’, Indian Wells is one of the biggest events of the season with the world’s best stars flocking to California for a chance at the coveted title.
Find out everything you need to know about the BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells including key dates, entry lists, draws, live scores, schedules and how you can watch the action from home.
When is Indian Wells 2026?
Qualifying for the 2026 BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells will start on Sunday 1 March with the main draw getting underway on Wednesday 4 March.
The tournament will come to a close on Sunday 15 March when both the men’s and women’s singles finals will take place.
Day session matches are set to start at 19:00 UK time (11:00 local time), with night sessions getting underway at 02:00 (18:00 local time).
Get the full schedule for the BNP Paribas Indian Wells below:
Where is the 2026 Indian Wells being held?
The BNP Paribas Indian Wells will return to Indian Wells Tennis Garden having hosted 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 at one of the sport’s most iconic venues.
When is the Indian Wells draw?
Details for the main draw at the BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells will take place soon - follow all the draws via the links below:
Who are the top seeds at Indian Wells 2026?
Women’s
- Aryna Sabalenka
- Iga Swiatek (POL)
- Elena Rybakina (KAZ)
- Coco Gauff (USA)
- Jessica Pegula (USA)
Men’s
- Carlos Alcaraz (ESP)
- Jannik Sinner (ITA)
- Novak Djokovic (SRB)
- Alexander Zverev (GER)
- Lorenzo Musetti (ITA)
Which British tennis players will be competing at Indian Wells 2026?
Singles
Defending men's singles champion Jack Draper returns to the Californian desert ready to launch his title defence at Indian Wells. The British No.1 is easing back into competition after being sidelined since the US Open due to an arm injury. Draper marked his return to competitive action during Great Britain’s Davis Cup qualifier against Norway where he sealed a dominant straight sets victory over Viktor Durasovic - encouraging signs heading into the Sunshine Double.
He'll be joined by Cam Norrie, who is currently the only other Brit confirmed for the main draw so far. Norrie closed out the 2025 season strongly with a runner-up finish at the Moselle Open and has already recorded some impressive results already this year in Brisbane, Auckland and Melbourne. A former champion at Indian Wells, Norrie will be eyeing up another strong run at Indian Wells on a court where he has had plenty of success over the years.
Emma Raducanu will lead the British contingent on the women's side, where she'll look to make a fast start at the tournament. The British No.1 has enjoyed a bright start to the season, highlighted by a final appearance at the Transylvania Open - her first WTA final since her US Open triumph back in 2021.
The 23-year-old is currently ranked at world No.25, and with confidence building in her game, she'll be gunning to leave her mark in California.
She's joined by Sonay Kartal who had a tournament to remember last time out at Indian Wells. The British No.2 received a spot in the main draw as a lucky loser before knocking out Varvara Lepchenko, 16th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia and Polina Kudermetova to reach the fourth round, where she eventually bowed out to world No.1 Sabalenka.
Kartal carried that momentum into the rest of her season, with a fourth round appearance at Wimbledon and quarter-final run at the China Open among her standout performances.
Francesca Jones has also received direct entry to the main draw. Meanwhile, Katie Boulter, Jacob Fearnley and Billy Harris are all preparing to compete in qualifying.
Doubles
In-form duo Henry Patten and Harri Heliovaara will be looking to continue their win streak as they turn their focus to Indian Wells. The British, Finnish pair have won four out of their last five tournaments, including two this year in Adelaide and Qatar, and will be looking to add a second Masters 1000 crown to their growing trophy haul.
Recently crowned Australian Open champions Neal Skupski and Christian Harrison will be looking to keep their winning start to their partnership going, along with Luke Johnson and Poland's Jan Zielinski who also reached the semi-final in Melbourne.
All-British duo Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool enter as second seeds and will be hunting down a first title of the season, after finishing runners-up in Brisbane and Qatar.
Last year's women's doubles runner up Olivia Nicholls will be looking to go one further this year as she prepare to team up once again with Slovakia’s Tereza Mihalikova.
Who won Indian Wells in 2025?
- Men’s singles – Jack Draper (GBR)
- Women’s singles – Mirra Andreeva
- Men’s doubles – Mate Pavic (CRP) & Marcelo Arevalo (SLV)
- Women’s doubles – Demi Schuurs (NED) & Asia Muhammad (USA)
Britain’s Draper became just the second man to be crowned champion at Indian Wells when he defeated Holger Rune 6-2, 6-2 to lift his first Masters 1000 title.
In the women’s singles draw, Mirra Andreeva fought through a three set battle against world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka - winning 2-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Mate Pavis and Marcelo Arevalo beat singles stars Jordan Thompson and Sebastian Korda 6-3, 6-4 to win the men’s doubles crown.
Demi Schuurs and Asia Muhammad secured the women’s doubles title with a 6-2, 7-6(4) win over Britain’s Nicholls and Slovakian partner Tereza Mihalikova.
Past British performances at Indian Wells
The BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells has crowned two British champions in its history – Draper in 2025 and Norrie back in 2021.
Draper's run to the title last year marked a breakthrough moment for the 23-year-old, who clinched wins over Joao Fonseca, Jenson Brooksby, Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton on his way to the semi-final, where he upset then reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz 6-1, 0-6, 6-4 to reach the final.
There, Draper took on 12th seed Rune and needed just an hour and 10 minutes to beat the Danish star 6-2, 6-2 and lift his first Masters title. It was a win that saw him break into the ATP top 10 for the first time in his career.
Meanwhile, Norrie's run to a maiden ATP Masters 1000 title back in 2021 saw him defeat the likes of Tommy Paul, Diego Schwartzman and Grigor Dimitrov en route to the final.
In the championship match, the Brit came back from a set down to defeat Nikoloz Basilashvili 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 to become the first Brit to win the prestigious title.
Other British stars have come close to the crown, with Murray (2009), Tim Henman (2002, 2004) and Greg Rusedski (1998) all finishing runners-up in the Californian desert during their careers.
What is the prize money for BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells 2026?
There is a prize pot of $9,415,725 on offer across the women's singles and doubles draws, and the same amount on offer for the men's singles and doubles events.
How to watch the Indian Wells 2026?
All coverage of the BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells will be available to watch exclusively on Sky Sports Tennis and Now TV.
