The Indian Wells Masters, also known as the BNP Paribas Open, welcomed 2018 with the theme, “BNP Paribas in Full Bloom.” The Indian Wells Tennis Garden was decorated with an abundance of flowers and a surprising first few rounds.

Previous World No. 1 Novak Djokovic lost to Taro Daniel, a player outside of the top 100 in ATP Rankings. Several players returned to this tournament after brief hiatuses: Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, and Victoria Azarenka.

Sharapova, returning to Indian Wells after her doping ban, lost in two straight sets to Naomi Osaka of Japan. There was also a notable match between the Williams sisters on March 12 in the third round, with Venus overtaking her sister in two sets.

In the doubles side of the tournament, Barbora Strycova and Su-Wei Hsieh, in their first tournament together, defeated the No. 1 team, Ekaterina Makarova, and Elena Vesnina. In an all-American final, the Bryan brothers lost to John Isner and Jack Sock.

Osaka went on to defeat Daria Kasatkina in the finals, winning 6-3, 6-2. Still, this match proved evident promise for the future careers of these 20-year-olds. World No. 1 Roger Federer, crowd favorite and returning champion, lost to Juan Del Potro of Argentina in the finals. This was Federer’s first loss of 2018 and Del Potro’s first Indian Wells title.

“It was fun to see the emergence of newer players this year since in the past the popular players were more present. I liked that this tournament represented Indian Wells better. It was prettier with the addition of flowers,” stated Adria Burton ‘18. “The men’s doubles [were] also fun to watch since it was an all American final.”