Oracle Challenger Series Indian Wells Player Fields Led by Former Top Ten Players Kevin Anderson, Lucas Pouille and 2011 US Open Champion Samantha Stosur
Nearly 30 Top-100 Ranked Players Entered;
Americans Frances Tiafoe, Steve Johnson, Jessica Pegula, Taylor Townsend and More to Compete at the Final Stop on the 2019-2020 Road to Indian Wells
INDIAN WELLS, Calif., February 12, 2020 – The Oracle Challenger Series Indian Wells – to be held March 2 – 8, 2020 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden – has released its player entry lists today, which are led by former World No. 5 Kevin Anderson, five-time ATP Tour title winner Lucas Pouille and 2011 US Open Champion Samantha Stosur. The Oracle Challenger Series Indian Wells is the final stop on the 2019-2020 Road to Indian Wells and will determine which two American male and female players earn main draw wild cards into the 2020 BNP Paribas Open, the largest WTA and ATP Tour combined event in the world.
A two-time Grand Slam finalist (2017 US Open, 2018 Wimbledon), Anderson highlights a deep men’s main draw as he continues his comeback campaign following extensive layoffs in 2019 due to injury. The South African native, who has accumulated six career ATP Tour singles titles, is hoping to take another step towards returning to top form when he competes in his first career Oracle Challenger Series event in Indian Wells. He is joined by another Challenger Series newcomer in French former World No. 10 Pouille. The roster of talented international standouts continues with Brit Cameron Norrie, who at World No. 59 is the highest-ranked player in the men’s field; World No. 79 and 2019 ATP Tour Newcomer of the Year Jannik Sinner; 2012 Wimbledon quarterfinalist Philipp Kohlschreiber; and Dominik Koepfer, who reached the fourth round at the 2019 US Open.
The men’s field also features 11 Americans, headlined by Frances Tiafoe, who reached a career-high ranking of World No. 29 in 2019 and is chasing his first Oracle Challenger Series title after advancing to the third round of January’s Newport Beach event. Southern California native and World No. 75 Steve Johnson also returns to the Oracle Challenger Series stage for his second consecutive event after reaching the quarterfinals at Newport Beach. Also competing in Indian Wells is 2019 Oracle Challenger Series Houston champion Marcos Giron, who currently sits atop the Road to Indian Wells Leaderboard, followed closely by 2020 Newport Beach men’s singles champion Thai-Son Kwiatkowski. Rounding out the American male contingent is former World No. 8 and three-time Grand Slam doubles champion Jack Sock, World No. 106 Dennis Kudla, 2018 Oracle Challenger Series Houston champion Bradley Klahn, and 2017 Oracle US Tennis Award recipient Mackenzie McDonald; as well as Michael Mmoh, Mitchell Krueger and Sebastian Korda.
On the women’s side, Stosur, the 2011 US Open Singles Champion who also holds Grand Slam doubles triumphs at the 2019 Australian Open, 2006 French Open and 2005 US Open, highlights a power-packed lineup of international women’s competitors. Former World No. 2 and two-time Grand Slam finalist (2010 Wimbledon, 2010 US Open) Vera Zvonareva and 2016 Olympic gold medalist Monica Puig also join the field, alongside World No. 54 and Oracle Challenger Series New Haven champion Anna Blinkova, who is the highest ranked player in the women’s field. Two-time Grand Slam doubles champion Katerina Siniakova (2018 French Open, 2018 Wimbledon) and former World No. 23 Mona Barthel are also set to compete in Indian Wells.
The women’s field also includes 14 Americans, highlighted by Jessica Pegula, who captured her first WTA Tour level title at Washington last summer, and earned a main draw wild card into the 2019 BNP Paribas Open due to her performance across last year’s Oracle Challenger Series. World No. 72 Taylor Townsend is hoping to build upon the momentum she gained from an incredible Round of 16 run at the 2019 US Open as well as her recent semifinal run at Newport Beach in January. Teenage sensation Catherine McNally returns to the Oracle Challenger Series, having captured WTA doubles titles at Washington and Luxembourg last season alongside partner Coco Gauff; as well as current points leader on the Road to Indian Wells Leaderboard and 2020 Newport Beach women’s singles champion Madison Brengle; and 2019 New Haven finalist Usue Arconada. Other American contenders include 2016 Roland Garros quarterfinalist Shelby Rogers, 2018 Oracle US Tennis Award recipient Francesca Di Lorenzo and World No. 64 Bernarda Pera; as well as Christina McHale, Nicole Gibbs, Kristie Ahn, Whitney Osuigwe, Allie Kiick and Ann Li.
The remaining spots in both the men’s and women’s main draws will be filled by wild cards, which will be announced in the coming weeks.
All matches will be played at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, located at 78200 Miles Ave, Indian Wells, CA 92210. Admission to the Oracle Challenger Series is free by registering for a free ticket. Free parking is also available on-site. Matches will start at 10:00 a.m. local time on Monday, March 2 through Sunday, March 8.
For more information about the Oracle Challenger Series visit oraclechallengerseries.com.
