INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) — A handful of tennis' superstars skipped the coronavirus-delayed BNP Paribas Open. A rash of upsets sent other big names packing, too. Left standing at the end as champions were two players ranked outside the Top 25.
Britain's Cameron Norrie beat Nikoloz Basilashvili 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 on Sunday, giving the tournament its first men's winner ranked outside of the Top 25 since 2010.
Paula Badosa of Spain edged Victoria Azarenka 7-6 (5), 2-6, 7-6 (2), becoming just the third woman to win in her Indian Wells debut.
Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams were among those skipping the tournament that was delayed 2 1/2 years because of the coronavirus. The two-week event was hit with a rash of upsets, including top seeds Daniil Medvedev and Karolina Pliskova.
That cleared the way for the up-and-coming Norrie and Badosa to claim the biggest titles of their young careers. They earned $1.2 million each.