Winning Indian Wells on your tournament debut would be a significant career boost – just ask Bianca Andreescu.
The Canadian made her first ever appearance at the Tennis Garden in 2019 at the age of 18 as one of eight women’s singles wildcards.
Andreescu beat Irina-Camelia Begu in the first round before straight sets wins over Dominika Cibulkova, Stefanie Vogele and Wang Qiang.
She lost just one game against Garbine Muguruza in the quarter-finals and was rewarded with a last four clash against Elina Svitolina.
The then world no.6 was the highest ranked player left at Indian Wells but it was Andreescu who who made it through to the final.
Standing between her and a first ever WTA title was the three-time Grand Slam winner Angelique Kerber.
Kerber won Wimbledon the year before and also enjoyed a dominant run to the showcase matchup in the Coachella Valley, California.
However, her experience in winning major titles failed to get her over the line as the young Andreescu stunned to win 6-4 3-6 6-4.
The victory made Indian Wells tournament history as she became the first ever wildcard women’s singles champion.
Andreescu also matched tennis royalty by being the first 18-year-old winner since the legendary Serena Williams in 1999.
The teenager fell onto the ground when Kerber hit the deciding shot into the net, before kissing the court and basking in the sun.
During her post-title winning press conference, Andreescu revealed the range of emotions she went through after making history.
“I was actually really dizzy in the locker room, because there were so many thoughts, so many emotions going in my body,” she said.
“I had a good ice bath, which I think calmed me down a bit but yeah, it’s been a crazy ride, truly a Cinderella story.
“Naomi [Osaka] did this last year and now to be able to have my name in front of so many amazing champions, it means the world to me.”
Andreescu added: “It’s crazy what a year can do. I was playing 25k’s [$25,000 events] in Japan and now I’m the… Can I say the f-word?
“No I can’t. The f-ing champion of Indian Wells, it’s crazy! Crazy is the word of the tournament for me, just crazy.”
Andreescu rose to 24th in the WTA rankings, but the success didn’t stop there for her in 2019.
She claimed her first ever Grand Slam title at the US Open by beating who else, but Williams in the final 6-3 7-5.
Unfortunately for Andreescu, she was unable to defend her Indian Wells crown in the following year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The tournament returned in 2021 but she fell to a third round defeat against Anett Kontaveit.
Andreescu was beaten at the same stage two years later by eventual semi-finalist Iga Swiatek, who is the reigning champion in 2025.
This year’s tournament, which started on Sunday with qualifying, will be missing Andreescu after she underwent surgery.
“I unexpectedly started experiencing some sharp pain in my stomach, which led to an emergency appendectomy,” she said on Instagram.
“The surgery went smoothly, and I’m on the road to recovery. My plan is to be back on the court for the clay season, stronger than ever.”
Indian Wells main draw action begins on Wednesday, with the winner claiming $1,124,380 in prize money and 1,000 ranking points.
