COURTSIDE REPORTER: Wednesday at Indian Wells


TODAY AT BNP PARIBAS | INDIAN WELLS CA | Wednesday, March 8

Welcome back to USTA SoCal’s continuing coverage of the BNP Paribas Indian Wells Masters!

Following a host of upsets on Tuesday, American hopefuls looked to rebound with a strong showing on Wednesday at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, with women headed into the Main Draw and the men closing out Qualifier action.

Late on Tuesday, 20-year old Jared Donaldson (Irvine) compared nicely to countryman and Olympic mixed doubles medalist Rajeev Ram, but fell short in a tight 6-4, 6-4 contest. On an adjacent court, Ernesto Escobedo (West Covina) was unable to build momentum against Peter Gojowczyk of Germany, dropping two sets 6-3, 6-3. Nearby, Noah Rubin and Michael Mmoh were also ousted, capping off a difficult day of USA Men’s qualifiers.

Kayla Day of Santa Barbara, CA

Wednesday remained auspicious for the Men, with all remaining Americans eliminated, but a host of USA Women came on strong as the Main Draw schedule opened. Kayla Day (Santa Barbara) took advantage of her wild card berth with a convincing first round win, 6-3, 6-4 over Kurumi Nara of Japan. Louisa Chirico and Madison Brengle both notched victories on Wednesday, while first year pro CiCi Bellis lost a three set heartbreaker. Chirico toppled former French Open titlist Francesca Schiavone to advance.

On Thursday, Vania King (Monterey Park) and former UCLA standout Jennifer Brady will compete in first round matches on what should be a telling day for USA Tennis, as a dozen young American hopefuls look to advance.

Our coverage continues on Thursday, checking in with all early round matches featuring SoCal and USA Futures, plus more from around the grounds of the Tennis Garden. On Friday, we shift to the doubles courts and follow the tandems of Team USA!

Are you visiting Indian Wells this week? Be sure to tag #USTAsocal when posting images of your favorite Southern California stars!