Eugenie Bouchard: The sky’s the limit for Victoria Mboko in Indian Wells

The 2026 BNP Paribas Open is just around the corner—main-draw action kicks off Wednesday, March 4—and all eyes are on the top players as they descend on Tennis Paradise.

Tennis Channel’s team of analyst handicapped the field and made their picks of all the must-watch players heading into the Sunshine Swing.

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First up: Which player are you most excited to see at the BNP Paribas Open?

EUGENIE BOUCHARD

Victoria Mboko. She just broke into the Top 10 and has already reached two WTA 1000 finals, winning my home tournament up in Canada last summer. Heading into Indian Wells, I truly believe the sky’s the limit!

SAM QUERREY

Carlos Alcaraz. Carlos is, by far, the most exciting player in tennis right now. He is also the best shot maker and arguably has the best attitude in the history of tennis.

(I also have a wager with my friends that I can get invited to dinner or lunch with him and his crew at least one time this year—so picking him just might give me another opportunity at making that happen!)

PAUL ANNACONE

Aryna Sabalenka. The world No. 1 played a great Australian Open but took a tough loss in the final to Elena Rybakina and hasn’t played since, skipping both Middle East tournaments in Doha and Dubai. I’m interested to see how she’s holding up emotionally as much as with her tennis.

BRETT HABER

Learner Tien. This young American made a meteoric rise into the Top 20 in his first full year on tour. How will he handle the occasion of playing in his de facto hometown tournament as a seed?

NICK MONROE

Carlos Alcaraz. Every time I watch Carlos, I never know what I’m going to see. A new shot, a new pattern. Every match is complete magic.