Indian Wells Women's Tips, Predictions and Odds

The tennis season ramps up this week with arguably the biggest non-Grand Slam event of them all, WTA Indian Wells, which begins in California on Wednesday.

Indian Wells marks the third 1000 Series tournament of the WTA season - after the Qatar Open and the Dubai Championships - and all of the stars of the women's game are taking aim at this big prize.

World no.1 Iga Swiatek, champion at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in 2022 before completing the coveted Sunshine Double in Miami, is the top seed and the 11/4 favourite while her chief competition is once again expected to come from Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina and Coco Gauff.

Indian Wells Women's tips and predictions

Elena Rybakina to win Indian Wells Women's title - 11/2

Swiatek remains the one to beat in virtually all of the tournaments she enters but the prolific Pole has looked more vulnerable in recent months and while she ticked off another title in Qatar last month, she also fell early at the Australian Open and was a shock semi-final loser in Dubai.

The 22-year-old reached the semi-finals in California a year ago, where she lost 6-2 6-2 to Rybakina, and this time around she has to negotiate a tough draw which is likely to feature early meetings with Danielle Collins and then one of Katie Boulter or her Australian Open conqueror Linda Noskova.

Madison Keys, Jelena Ostapenko and Ons Jabeur are also in Swiatek's quarter and she looks ripe for taking on.

Sabalenka was a brilliant winner of the Australian Open and is an obvious threat but there is a chance the Belarusian arrives in California undercooked given she's played just once since Melbourne, losing out to Donna Vekic in Dubai.

With Gauff not at her best, it's defending champion Rybakina who appeals most from the four leading contenders.

Like Swiatek, the Kazakhstani suffered an early exit at the Australian Open but she was brilliant in the Brisbane International at the start of the season, beating Sabalenka 6-0 6-3 in the final, then she claimed a second title of the year in Abu Dhabi at the beginning of February.

The 2022 Wimbledon champion found Swiatek too strong in the Qatar final the following week but that was a solid effort given her hectic schedule, then she withdrew at the quarter-final stage in Dubai with an illness having talked about physical exhaustion following her victory over Magdalena Frech.

With a fortnight of rest under her belt, Rybakina should be freshened up for her title defence and she looks overpriced given that she's played as well as anyone on the WTA Tour this season.

Victoria Azarenka to win Indian Wells Women's title - 100/1

The Sunshine Double remains a rare feat in women's tennis but Victoria Azarenka has achieved it, taking home both the Indian Wells and Miami titles in 2016, and there are reasons to think she could go close to winning the first leg once again.

Azarenka is not the force she once was but the two-time Grand Slam winner has relished competing in California, beating Serena Williams in the 2016 final and reaching the final again as recently as 2021, when she lost out to Paula Badosa.

Azarenka is housed in the third quarter alongside Australian Open runner-up Qinwen Zheng and Gauff, who has struggled with her forehand and serve and has generally looked out of sorts.

The Indian Wells draw could open up and the 34-year-old, who has found only Sabalenka, Dayana Yastremska, Swiatek and Rybakina too strong in her four events this season, could take advantage.

Emma Navarro to win Indian Wells Women's title - 50/1

Sabalenka is expected to take all the beating in the bottom quarter but, if she is indeed caught cold, Emma Navarro is playing well enough to profit.

The improving New Yorker reached the semi-finals in San Diego last week, where she lost out to Boulter, but that run should be viewed as a positive for a player who has improved quickly since bursting on to the scene last season.

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Indian Wells Women's odds

Iga Swiatek - 11/4
Aryna Sabalenka - 10/3
Elena Rybakina - 11/2
Coco Gauff - 13/2
Jessica Pegula - 25/1
Qinwen Zheng - 28/1
Jelena Ostapenko - 28/1

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.