It has been a concerning start for American players on day one of Indian Wells.
Indian Wells is one of the biggest tournaments on the tennis calendar, and is sometimes referred to as the ‘fifth Grand Slam’.
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If so, which tournament would it be?
Taylor Fritz won Indian Wells in 2022, but it has been 25 years since the last American woman won the tournament, which came when Serena Williams beat Kim Clijsters in the 2001 final.
American women are looking to end this drought in 2026, but they have got off to a disastrous start.
All five American women lose on day one of Indian Wells
There are 20 American women in the main draw of Indian Wells this year, which includes the likes of Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula and Amanda Anisimova, who all receive byes to the second round as seeds.
However, 14 of the American WTA players are not seeded and therefore have to play from the first round of the tournament.
Five of those players took to court on day one of Indian Wells, but this resulted in no winners for the USA.
The most high profile of these losses is for former US Open champion Sloane Stephens, who ended her 13-match losing streak at the Australian Open, but she has now lost back-to-back matches after suffering a straight sets defeat to Camila Osorio.
Stephens was the underdog in terms of ranking in that match, but all of the other four American women were playing lower ranked players.
However, McCartney Kessler, Ann Li, Alycia Parks and Caty McNally were all beaten, with the latter the only American woman to win a set on day one of Indian Wells.
| American women at Indian Wells | First Round Result |
| McCartney Kessler | Zeynep Sonmez beat Kessler, 7-6(7) 6-0 |
| Ann Li | Talia Gibson beat Ann Li, 6-3 7-5 |
| Alycia Parks | Himeno Sakatsume beat Parks, 6-4 6-3 |
| Caty McNally | Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva beat McNally, 6-2 6(4)-7 6-4 |
| Sloane Stephens | Camila Osorio beat Stephens, 6-4 6-1 |
There are nine American women playing on day two of Indian Wells, which includes Venus Williams, Taylor Townsend, Sofia Kenin and Jennifer Brady, as they bid to improve their nation’s prospects in California.
How did American men perform on day one of Indian Wells?
While American women struggled on day one of Indian Wells, it was a much more encouraging day for American men.
The USA were already confirmed to have one winner, as Reilly Opelka was playing his compatriot Ethan Quinn, who he ended up beating in straight sets.
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Wildcard Martin Damm was the only other American man to lose on day one of the tournament, as he lost to Argentinian Camilo Ugo Carabelli.
Marcos Giron and Jenson Brooksby booked their place in the second round, alongside world number 99 Zachary Svajda, who beat 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic in the first round.
| American men at Indian Wells | First Round Result |
| Marcos Giron | Giron beat Mariano Navone, 4-6 7-5 6-3 |
| Martin Damm | Camilo Ugo Carabelli beat Damm, 7-6(5) 6-3 |
| Reilly Opelka/Ethan Quinn | Opelka beat Quinn, 7-5 7-6(3) |
| Jenson Brooksby | Brooksby beat Alexei Popyrin, 6-3 6-4 |
| Zachary Svajda | Svajda beat Marin Cilic, 7-6(5) 6-4 |
There are six American men in action on day two of the tournament who will be looking to continue this momentum.
This includes Delray Beach Open champion Sebastian Korda, Alex Michelsen and Aleksandar Kovacevic.
After the second day of Indian Wells, the seeded players will be brought into play, including Fritz, Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe.
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