Indian Wells, Day 1 Preview: Petra Kvitova, Naomi Osaka help kick off the BNP Paribas Open

Petra Kvitova vs. Varvara Gracheva

>>> Watch live HERE, 11 a.m. ET

Indian Wells will kick off with a blast from what feels like the distant past: The return of Petra Kvitova. The Czech, now 34, came back to the tour last week in Austin, after having a baby and spending more than a year away.

What can we expect from her? She lost in three sets in her first match in Austin. She’s currently ranked 1,378 spots behind Gracheva (1,448 to 70). And she’s 10 years older than her. But Kvitova is a future Hall of Famer who won Miami as recently as 2023, and she’s 1-0 against this opponent. Kvitova has never reached the final in Indian Wells, and she’ll surely feel the rust. But she I’m guessing she can still hit the ball as hard and as well as anyone. Winner: Kvitova

Tallon Griekspoor vs. Miomir Kecmanovic

>>> Watch live HERE, 3:10 p.m. ET

The second match on Stadium 4 may not sound like it has a ton of box-office appeal, especially in the States. We have a 28-year-old Dutchman ranked 43rd, versus a 25-year Serb ranked 49th. Neither is young, or well-known, or all that artistic in his play.

But if you like a hard-fought, full-throttle battle from up close, this should be an excellent watch on a small show court in Indian Wells. Griekspoor and Kecmanovic are meat-and-potatoes, modern-style baseliners, but they’re both exceptional ball-strikers, and only a whisper below the best in the world. They’ve also been playing well: Kecmanovic won Delray last month, while Griekspoor beat Medvedev to make the semis in Dubai.

They’ve faced off three times, and all three have gone the distance. Griekspoor has won two of them, and I’ll pick him to win a third on Wednesday. Winner: Griekspoor

Naomi Osaka vs. Camila Osorio

>>> Watch live HERE, 9 p.m. ET

The night session will feature a contest of wide interest: Naomi Osaka’s first match since she was forced to retire at the Australian Open, as well the warm-up event in Auckland, with an abdominal strain.

Osaka’s rise began in Indian Wells in 2018, when she tore through the draw as an unseeded 20-year-old, won the title, and won the US Open five months later. Now 27, she has been looking for a similar spark since returning to the tour at the start of 2024, but hasn’t quite found it yet. She looked sharp in Auckland and Melbourne with new coach Patrick Mouratoglou, only to be foiled by the same injury in both places.

Osaka and Osorio, a 23-year-old clay-courter from Colombia, have played once, three years ago, and Osaka won 6-3, 6-3. At the moment, their rankings are comparable—Osaka is 56, Osorio 53. But judging by Osaka’ form so far in 2025, they won’t stay that way for too much longer. Winner: Osaka