Tips for having the best open experience BNP Paribas in Indian Wells Tennis Garden
Sports columnist Shad Powers and journalist Andrew John offer four tips to newcomers who attend the open tennis tournament BNP Paribas, Indian Wells, California, February 27, 2024
When Marcelo Arévalo began playing Indian Wells as a single player in 2015, he and his father obtained tickets to watch the action inside a suite that dropped the stadium short, inside the 16100 -seat stadium at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
They stayed late in the evening to watch the matches, marveling by the atmosphere inside one of the biggest tennis stadiums in the world.
Salvador has lost in qualifying, but thought how incredible it would be to play one day inside this stadium, on the emblematic, where many tennis grown -ups have played in the past 25 years.
He said it was not only a goal, but a dream to play one day in this stadium court.
Friday, Arévalo finally appeared in the stadium court at the BNP Paribas Open, playing double with Mate Pavić in Croatia. Then, on Saturday, the couple won the title of male double, 6-3, 6-4, on the Australian Jordan Thompson and the American Sebastian Korda.
Arevalo called it for a moment in a full circle.
“At that time, when I was here with my father,” said Arévalo, “it didn’t even go through my mind to win the title in this court. So it was a bit shocking.”
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With the victory, Arévalo and Pavić will divide $ 457,150. Thompson and Korda will divide $ 242,020.
The victory was a kind of redemption for Pavić, who lost in the final in mixed double, playing with the American Bethanie Mattek-Sands. He played in the male semi-finals in the morning, then later in the mixed double final.
“It was actually a good fun event they organize,” said Pavić. “It was good games and I must say that the final was also a good match. Stadium 3 was roughly full. We lost it, but it was close.”
The fans filled the lower bowl of the stadium, some waving the El Salvador flag in support. Arévalo said he knew people who rolled other parts in southern California specifically for the match.
Korda and Thompson saved 3 points from the 4 in the first set, but the only break is that Arévalo and Pavić needed. The pair did not face a single point of rupture overall.
In the second, Korda and Thompson had four break -out opportunities, but could not convert any. Arévalo and Pavić had only two break -out opportunities, and the one they converted was sufficient.
Arévalo and Pavić, who are tied like the best -classified male players in the world, crossed the draw in male double this week without dropping a set. They won the five games without facing a seeded team throughout the way.
In doing so, Pavić only joined five other players who finished all the Masters 1000 finals. Only Bob and Mike Bryan, Max Mirnyi, Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna had done it before.
Korda and Thompson now have 9-2 in three tournaments as a double team. Last year, they won the Masters 1000 title in Madrid.
If they were not before, Arévalo and Pavić could be considered one of the best teams of double memory. They reached a Masters 1000 in Rome last year and the ATP final. While they lost in these finals, they won four titles together, including Hong Kong, Geneva, a Masters 1000 in Cincinnati and a great slam in Roland Garros.
Now they have also won the Indian wells together.
Andrew John covers the open BNP Paribas for the Sun desert and the USA TODAY network. Send him an email to [email protected].
