March is an action-packed month on the tennis calendar and it typically gets underway with a bang as the best players on the planet head to California to compete for silverware at Indian Wells.
Indian Wells' heavyweight status means it carries great significance in terms of the world ranking points on both the ATP and WTA Tours. It is arguably the most prestigious of the ATP's nine Masters 1000 tournaments and is one of four WTA Mandatory events.
Dates
The 2026 tournament at Indian Wells will take place between Sunday 1st March and Sunday 15th March 2026.
Times
The main-draw action is scheduled to start at 11:00 local time each day. As California is eight hours behind the UK, matches will start at 19:00 for UK viewers.
Schedule
Sunday 1 March: Women's singles - qualifying
Monday 2 March: WTA Singles - qualifying, ATP Singles - qualifying
Tuesday 3 March: WTA Singles - qualifying, ATP Singles - qualifying
Wednesday 4 March: WTA Singles - first round, ATP Singles - first round
Thursday 5 March: WTA Singles - first round, Doubles - first round, ATP Singles - first round
Friday 6 March: WTA Singles - second round, Doubles - first round, ATP Singles - second round
Saturday 7 March: WTA Singles - second round, Doubles - first round, ATP Singles - second round
Sunday 8 March: WTA Singles - third round, Doubles - second round, ATP Singles - third round, Doubles - first round
Monday 9 March: WTA Singles - third round, Doubles - second round, ATP Singles - third round, Doubles - first round
Tuesday 10 March: WTA Singles - fourth round, Doubles - quarter-final, ATP Singles - fourth round, Doubles - second round, Mixed doubles - first round
Wednesday 11 March: WTA Singles - fourth round, Doubles - quarter-finals, ATP Singles - fourth round, Doubles - quarter-finals, Mixed doubles - quarter-finals
Thursday 12 March: WTA Singles - quarter-finals, Doubles - semi-finals, ATP Singles - quarter-finals, Doubles - quarter-finals, Mixed doubles - semi-finals
Friday 13 March: WTA Singles - semi-final, ATP Doubles - semi-final
Saturday 14 March: WTA Doubles - final, ATP Singles - semi-final, Doubles - final
Sunday 15 March: WTA Singles - final, ATP Singles - final, Mixed doubles - final
Venue
Also known as the BNP Paribas Open for sponsorship reasons or the Indian Wells Masters on the ATP Tour, this annual tournament takes place at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, California, United States.
The location, which was built in 2000, has 29 tennis courts, including a 16,100-seat main stadium.
That is the second largest tennis-specific stadium in the world behind the Arthur Ashe Stadium at Flushing Meadows, New York, which hosts the US Open.
Prize Money
Round | Prize Money |
|---|---|
Winner | $1,201,125 |
Runner-up | $638,750 |
Semi-finalist | $354,850 |
Quarter-finalist | $202,000 |
R16 | $110,250 |
R32 | $64,500 |
Second Round | $37,650 |
First Round | $25,375 |
The winner of Indian Wells takes home a bumper $1.2m in prize money, with the runner-up claiming $638k.
Semi-finalists are awarded $354k, while players reaching the last eight pocket $202k.
History
Considered to be one of, if not the most important event outside of the four Grand Slams, the tournament began as a men's non-tour event in Tucson, Arizona, in 1974, which was called the American Airlines Tennis Games.
The event which is now known as Indian Wells took place on the Grand Prix Tennis Tour from 1977 to 1989 before that circuit became the ATP Tour in 1990. The event moved to Indian Wells, California in 1987, with a WTA Tour tournament introduced in 1989.
The current venue, Indian Wells Tennis Garden, took over hosting duties in 2000 and BNP Paribas took over sponsorship of the event in 2009.
The tournament is the first leg of the Sunshine Double, with the second taking place at the similarly prestigious Miami Open. Winning both events is considered a rare feat in tennis.
Roger Federer was the last male player to claim the Sunshine Double, in 2017, while Iga Swiatek achieved the same feat in the women's game in 2022.
