Men’s Main Draw Singles Play to Begin in BNP Paribas Open
Men’s main draw singles play in the 2014 BNP Paribas Open will begin today at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, while the first round of women singles play will conclude.
The first match on the Stadium 1 court pits Tim Smyczek against fellow American Jack Sock at 11 a.m. Smyczek, a 26-year-old from Tampa is 105th on the Association of Tennis Professionals rankings, three spots behind Sock, a 21-year-old from Lincoln, Neb. The two have never previously met in an ATP World Tour or Grand Slam main draw match.
The lone night match is also between two Americans, Alex Kuzentsov, who needed to win two qualifying matches to reach the main draw, and Sam Querrey, who at 57th is the second-highest ranked U.S. player. Kuzentsov is ranked 127th.
Each of today’s losers will receive $11,000, with each of the winners guaranteed at least $16,000. The tournament champion will receive $1 million and the runner-up $500,000. The total prize money is $5,240,015.
All 32 seeded players in the 96-player draw received first-round byes.
Women’s first-round singles play will conclude with 16 matches, with Americans Coco Vandeweghe and Taylor Townsend among those playing in the afternoon.
In night matches, American Bethanie Mattek-Sands will face Caroline Garcia of France at 7 p.m. on the Stadium 1 court and American Vania King will face Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of the Czech Republic in Stadium 2.
Like the men, all 32 seeded women’s players in the 96-player draw received first-round byes.
On Wednesday, four of the seven Americans in action were winners — 19-year-old Madison Keys, 20-year-old Lauren Davis, Shelby Rogers and Varvara Lepchenko.
Other winners included Peng Shuai of China, who defeated Vera Zvonareva of Russia, the 2009 champion, 4-6, 6-0, 7-5, Yvonne Meusburger of Austria, Heather Watson of Great Britain, Annika Beck of Germany, Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium and Canadian Sharon Fichman.
