Indian Wells 2026 draw revealed as Emma Raducanu, Jack Draper, Novak Djokovic learn paths to final

By Ben Knapton | 03 Mar 2026 09:00, Last updated: 03 Mar 2026 09:46

The draw for the 2026 Indian Wells open has been revealed, with the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Emma Raducanu, Novak Djokovic and Jack Draper discovering their potential paths to the final.

British number one Draper claimed the biggest title of his career so far in last year’s edition, cruising past Holger Rune in the final to win his maiden ATP 1000 crown, and he enters the 2026 competition as the 14th seed.

All seeded players receive a bye into the second round of the competition, and Draper will tackle either Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan or Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut in his Indian Wells opener.

A third-round clash with Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo could be Draper’s reward if he passes his first test, but the defending champion is also on course for a colossal fourth-round clash with 24-time Grand Slam winner Djokovic.

The Serbian superstar will face either France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard or Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak first up, before a possible third-round showdown with the unpredictable Corentin Moutet.

Indian Wells 2026: Cameron Norrie on Carlos Alcaraz collision course

Draper is on the same side of the draw as two fellow Brits, including 27th seed Cameron Norrie – who meets Matteo Arnaldi or a qualifier first up – and Jacob Fearnley, whose first-round opponent is Bosnian Damir Dzumhur.

Draper and Fearnley could lock horns in the quarter-finals should they progress that far, while Norrie is on a last-eight collision course with top seed Carlos Alcaraz, who battles either Grigor Dimitrov or Terenc Atmane in the second round and may meet Djokovic in the semi-finals.

On the other side of the men’s draw, second seed Jannik Sinner has been handed a kind path to the quarter-finals; the second-highest ranked player in his section is 16th seed Karen Khachanov.

Sinner’s opening test will be against either James Duckworth or a qualifier, while Alexander Zverev could meet fellow Grand Slam runner-up Matteo Berrettini in the second round.

On the women’s side, Emma Raducanu also bypasses the first-round thanks to her 25th-seed status, and the 2021 US Open winner has been drawn against Germany’s Ella Seidel or a qualifier.

Indian Wells 2026: Venus Williams could meet British hopeful

The British number one may have to pit her wits against Wimbledon runner-up Amanda Anisimova in the third round should she win her opening match, and a possible quarter-final with Aryna Sabalenka also awaits.

The world number one will face Alycia Parks or a qualifier in her opening scrap, while Iga Swiatek could take on Great Britain’s Francesca Jones, if the latter can beat an unknown qualifier first up.

Sonay Kartal is in the same boat as Jones, and the 24-year-old’s third-round opponent could be the legendary Venus Williams, who enters as a wild card and will also take on a qualifier.

Defending women’s champion Mirra Andreeva enters as the eighth seed, and the Russian’s second-round opponent will be either Peyton Stearns or Solana Sierra.

Written by

Ben Knapton