Top five surprise performers at Indian Wells Open 2024

Indian Wells Open saw some big tennis names exiting in the initial rounds.

The Indian Wells Open 2024 has come to an end. The biggest tournament after the Grand Slams, this popular tournament is part of the ATP Masters 1000 events on the ATP Tour and part of the WTA 1000 events on the WTA Tour.

The Indian Wells Open, also known as BNP Paribas Open, has given tennis fans some exhilarating action, heartbreaking upsets, and some unknown names making it to the big stage of World Tennis. It also saw some surprise performers shocking the world with their undying beliefs and determined performances that set the Indian Wells Open 2024 stage on fire.

In this article, we will list the top five surprise performers who shook the world of tennis with their mammoth achievements and made the world take notice of their stunning performances. Before we move to the top five surprise performers from the Indian Wells Open 2024, here are some note-worthy mentions that came close to the top five but didn’t make it to the final cut.

Noteworthy mentions

In men’s tennis, 17th seed, Tommy Paul, defeated ninth seed, Casper Rudd 6-2,1-6, 6-3 in the quarterfinals and had a good run at the tournament.

Similarly, 37 years old, unseeded Gael Monfils who is a known entertainer on the court for his cheeky antics and athletic abilities pulled off a shocking victory against the eight seed Hubert Hurkacz in the second round (6-0, 6(5)-7(7), 6-2) and handed the Polish star an early exit from the tournament.

In Women’s tennis, unseeded Katie Volynets managed to defeat sixth seed Ons Jabeur (6-4, 6-4), registering her career-best win against the top-seed player. Finally, let’s move on to the top five surprise performers of the Indian Wells Open 2024.

5. Yue Yuan

Yue Yuan, the 25-year-old Chinese sensation who is coming up the ranks, had a stunning run at the tournament. Unseeded Yuan defeated eighth seed Qinwen Zheng 6-4, 6-3 in the second round and 11th seeded Daria Kasatkina 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, before going down in the quarterfinals of the Indian Wells Open 2024.

The Chinese was riding the wave of success with a nine-match winning streak which ended in the quarter-final stage, propelling her to the most significant quarter-final of her career and her first at a WTA 1000 event.

Yuan’s rise has been a refreshing development in women’s tennis, boasting 14 victories in 19 main draw matches, including a triumph at the ATX Open in Austin and a semi-final finish at the Hobart International. The Chinese star had an astounding run at the Indian Wells tournament, creating a couple of upsets which undoubtedly made her one of the surprise performers of the tournament.

4. Jiri Lehecka

Jiri Lehecka too, has relished early success in his 2024 campaign, clinching the Adelaide International in January for his inaugural ATP Tour title. The Czech player broke into the top-25, achieving a career-high ranking of No.23 on January 15, and subsequently making a quarter-final showing in Dubai.

For Lehecka, it was a moment of retaliation as he overcame fifth seed Andrey Rublev (6-4, 6-4) at Indian Wells Open in their third round encounter, rectifying his defeat at the same venue last year. The current World No. 32 then orchestrated an upset over 11th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas (6-2, 6-4), setting up his inaugural clash with Jannik Sinner, which he ultimately lost. Nevertheless, Lehecka managed to pull off some noteworthy upsets which deservingly got him a place in this list.

3. Emma Navarro

The 22-year-old is having a breakthrough season with her performances at the Indian Wells Open 2024. She won her first career title at the start of the year with the Hobart Open. Navarro had a stunning start to her campaign with a three-set victory (4-6, 7-5, 7-5) against Lesia Tsurenko, followed by a victory over the 16th seed Elina Svitolina, shocking the high-ranked opponent with a triumph by 6-1, 4-6, 6-3.

The most significant victory of her career came in the fourth round of the Indian Wells Open 2024 where she displayed a scintillating performance to oust World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka (6-3, 3-6, 6-2). The American managed to pull off an unthinkable victory in women’s tennis and put an end to Sabalenka—who was a strong favorite to win the title.

Navarro made heads turn and made the world take notice when she created this mammoth upset against a top player like Sabalenka.

2. Maria Sakkari

Maria Sakkari, seeded ninth at the WTA 1000 event, began her campaign with a 5-7, 6-4, 6-0 win over Diana Shnaider after a first-round bye. She got the better of two French players, Caroline Garcia and Diane Parry, to set up a quarter-final clash with Emma Navarro.

She defeated the in-form Navarro 5-7, 6-2, 6-4. However, her most significant victory in the tournament came when she ousted US Open champion Coco Gauff in the semis. Maria Sakkari advanced to her second Indian wells Open 2024 final after slugging it out against a gritty Gauff to earn a 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-2 win and break into the list of the best performers at Indian Wells Open 2024.

1. Luca Nardi

Luca Nardi, the lucky loser, is the top-notch surprise performer in this list. Initially, Nardi fell short in the qualifiers but got a fortunate break when he replaced Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the draw. Nardi got a bye in the first round and defeated China’s Zhang Zhizhen 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in the second round. Luca Nardi is yet to win a title on tour but who knew he would be involved in perhaps the most heart-breaking upset in the tournament.

Luca Nardi, the current world No.96, made waves in the world of tennis when he squared off against the tennis giant and world No.1, Novak Djokovic. The Italian ended the Serbian’s 11-match win streak at a Masters event when he pulled off a freak heist against his childhood tennis idol whose poster hung above his bed from the age of eight.

Nardi defeated Djokovic in a memorable three set victory by 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, and became the lowest-ranked player to defeat the legend. Though his Indian Wells Open journey came to an end in the fourth round against Tommy Paul, this has to be one of the biggest upsets created in the world of tennis.

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