Iga Swiatek didn't receive the easiest of paths to defending her Indian Wells title as the Pole could meet several big names in the desert.
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The Pole, seeded at No. 2, has a first-round bye after which she will likely face former world No. 4 Caroline Garcia.
In the third round, the world No. 2 is projected to meet Ons Jabeur, in what would be a rematch of the 2022 US Open final - while in the next round she could possibly meet Karolina Muchova in a rematch of the 2023 French Open final.
In the latter stages of Indian Wells, Swiatek is projected to meet No. 8 seed Zheng Qinwen in the quarterfinal and would then likely face either Elena Rybakina or Jessica Pegula in the semifinal.
Should the defending champion reach the final, her likely opponent there would be either top seed Aryna Sabalenka or third-seeded Coco Gauff.
Swiatek arrives in Indian Wells without a title in 10 months
The 23-year-old hasn't won any titles since collecting her fourth French Open title.
While the Pole has been struggling over the last couple of months, she is an 18-2 lifetime in Indian Wells.
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With that being said, there is no doubt that she is among the top favorites for the title.
Also, Swiatek had two weeks to train and prepare for the opening tournament of the Sunshine Double.
After losing to Mirra Andreeva in the Dubai quarterfinal two weeks ago, she blamed the schedule for the loss.
Honestly, Im not that direct usually, but I would blame this performance on the lack of practice before because I didnt have time," the former world No. 1 said.
