"My favorite place" - Former champions Paula Badosa and Bianca Andreescu back at Indian Wells, hit the practice courts ahead of 2023 edition
Bianca Andreescu and Paula Badosa have returned to the venue of one of the most memorable tournaments of their respective careers. 2019 champion Andreescu and 2021 champion Badosa hit the practice courts early ahead of the 2023 Indian Wells tournament.
Badosa called Indian Wells, which remains the biggest title of her career so far, her favorite place as she reacted to the tournament welcoming her back.
"My favorite place," Paula Badosa wrote on Instagram.
Badosa will look to return to form with another strong run at Indian Wells, having won the title and reached the semifinals in her last two appearances at the WTA 1000 event in California. After starting her 2023 season positively with a run to the semifinals in Adelaide, where she picked up an injury and missed the Australian Open, Badosa is yet to win a match. The Spanish star lost in the first round of the Dubai Tennis Championships last week.
Meanwhile, Andreescu has also made it to Indian Wells ahead of the March 6 start of the tournament. The 2019 US Open champion reflected on her happiest memories from the 2019 Indian Wells edition.
"Where it all started," Bianca Andreescu wrote on Instagram.
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Like Badosa, Andreescu will also look to get back to winning ways in the California event, having lost three straight matches after reaching the semifinals of the Thailand Open in early February.
A look back at Paula Badosa and Bianca Andreescu's title-winning campaigns at Indian Wells
Paula Badosa had one of the most impressive title-winning campaigns at Indian Wells in 2021, clinching the title as the 21st seed. She began her campaign with a hard-fought win against Dayana Yastremska before beating Coco Gauff in straight sets. She then defeated third seed Barbora Krejcikova, again in straight sets to move into the quarterfinals.
The Spanish player then capped off her brilliant run by beating three-time Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber, 12th seed Ons Jabeur, and two-time Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka to win the title.
Bianca Andreescu's 2019 Indian Wells winning campaign was another memorable one, with the Canadian going on to clinch the title as an unseeded player. She moved into the Round of 16 with wins over Irina-Camelia Begu, Dominika Cibulkova, and Stefanie Vogele.
She then beat 18th seed Qiang Wang in the last-16, before capping off her run with quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final wins against top-level opponents in Garbine Muguruza, Elina Svitolina, and Angelique Kerber, respectively.