The first round of main draw play at the 2017 BNP Paribas Open completed in Indian Wells on Thursday, featuring wins by Jelena Jankovic, Lucie Safarova and Julia Goerges.
Among winners on Thursday was also Donna Vekic, who beat Alison Riske after receiving a somewhat controversial wildcard for the tournament. Vekic, the only non-American player to receive a wildcard for the tournament’s main draw, was watched by boyfriend Stan Wawrinka in the stands. Riske’s loss continued the American blowout in Stadium 1 this year, as all eight players that played inside the venue lost their matches.
In the evening, Eugenie Bouchard, one of the tournament’s crowd favorites, played her first-round match. Unfortunately for the many Bouchard fans, her match against German Annika Beck ended in another disappointment for the popular Canadian. Despite winning the first set, Bouchard lost the match in three sets, suffering another first-round loss after her early exit in Acapulco last week.
The tournament’s second round will commence on Friday with the first seeds being put in action, after having enjoyed a first-round bye. High-profile encounters on Friday include the all-British battle between Johanna Konta and Heather Watson, as well as Karolina Pliskova’s encounter with Olympic gold medalist Monica Puig.
Keep checking back to Women’s Tennis Blog for the latest photos from Indian Wells and if you haven’t already, have a look at our galleries from previous days at the tournament:
- Wednesday: First-round action begins in the desert
- Tuesday: Qualifying action completes, the main draw is set
- Monday: Qualifying kicks off
- Sunday: Warming up for the tournament
