Indian Wells has almost arrived, and tennis icon Eugenie Bouchard has previewed the event from an American men’s perspective.
A long list of home favorites are in the men’s main draw for Indian Wells, including ATP top 10 players Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton.
The American stars are joined by the likes of Tommy Paul, Sebastian Korda and Learner Tien, with Bouchard now naming her favorite to go the furthest.
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Eugenie Bouchard backs Ben Shelton for lengthy Indian Wells run
WTA icon Bouchard was asked by Tennis Channel which American man she thinks will have the best result in Tennis Paradise, to which she said: “Ben Shelton.
“The evolution of his game has been so impressive and he often plays his best at the biggest events.
“With Indian Wells looking like the biggest US tournament behind the US Open itself, Tennis Paradise is an ideal stage for Shelton, who already won a first Masters 1000 title in Canada last summer.”
Shelton enters Indian Wells on the back of his success at the Dallas Open, where he beat Fritz in the final to clinch the title.
Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul predicted to go far at Indian Wells
Bouchard was joined in making an Indian Wells prediction by Sam Querrey and Paul Annacone, who offered different names.
Querrey said: “Tommy Paul. Tommy’s clearly eager to get himself back in the mix after losing ground to Fritz and Shelton in the back half of 2025.
“Back to full health in Australia, he played great to reach the second week and gave Carlos Alcaraz all he could handle over three close sets in the fourth round.
“If he’s healthy and playing well, he just may be the most dangerous American man in the field.”
And Annacone commented: “Taylor Fritz. Total transparency: how can I go against my man in his hometown tournament?
“A tournament he’s the only one of his countrymen to have won before, no less.”
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Like Shelton and Fritz, Paul enters Indian Wells on the back of a final appearance, in which he was defeated by Korda at the Delray Beach Open.
Jack Draper is the Indian Wells defending champion, while Fritz represents the last home winner, having lifted the trophy in 2022.
Between that, Carlos Alcaraz won back-to-back titles in 2023 and 2024, and enters this year’s tournament with titles from the Australian Open and the Qatar Open, along with a 12-0 record.
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Score |
| 2021 | Cameron Norrie | Nikoloz Basilashvili | 3–6, 6–4, 6–1 |
| 2022 | Taylor Fritz | Rafael Nadal | 6–3, 7–6(7–5) |
| 2023 | Carlos Alcaraz | Daniil Medvedev | 6–3, 6–2 |
| 2024 | Carlos Alcaraz | Daniil Medvedev | 7–6(7–5), 6–1 |
| 2025 | Jack Draper | Holger Rune | 6–2, 6–2 |
Meanwhile, other Americans looking to make waves include Reilly Opelka, Frances Tiafoe, Brandon Nakashima and Ethan Quinn, among others.
But certain to cause them a real threat should they meet are high-profile names like Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev, who alongside Alcaraz occupy the top four spots in the ATP rankings.
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