When Kyle Edmund entered the week in Indian Wells, he remained in search of his first match win of the 2019 season. The British No. 1 achieved that and then some, notching five wins in five days to capture the title.

Edmund turned in a ruthless display in Sunday’s final of the Oracle Challenger Series – Indian Wells, dominating Andrey Rublev 6-3, 6-2 in just 54 minutes. Edmund fired nine aces and won an impressive 82 per cent (36/44) of total service points to triumph.

The 24-year-old is just four months removed from capturing his maiden ATP Tour title in Antwerp, but fell victim to a knee injury in the subsequent weeks. In search of match wins and an injection of confidence, he entered the ATP Challenger Tour stop in Indian Wells and the decision would pay dividends. 
The World No. 27 streaked past Tommy Robredo and Lukas Rosol, before rallying past eighth seed Yannick Maden and overcoming fifth seed Lloyd Harris in Saturday’s semis. And in his first meeting with Rublev in nearly four years, he blitzed the Russian star without dropping serve.

It was Edmund’s sixth Challenger title in total, having dominated on the circuit in the early stages of his career. He kicked off his successful start with a title in Hong Kong in 2015 as a 20-year-old, followed by victories in Binghamton, Buenos Aires, Dallas and Rome.

Rublev, meanwhile, enjoyed the best week of his fledgling career in reaching the final. An ATP Tour champion in Umag in 2017, he also won a Challenger title in Quimper, France the year prior. The 21-year-old, a former World No. 31, is pushing towards a Top 100 return after battling a back injury last year.

Both Edmund and Rublev are gearing for a deep run at next week’s BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, the first ATP Masters 1000 event of the year. The Brit will appear in the main draw for the fourth straight year, while Rublev is poised to battle through qualifying.

Fifteen years ago, Rafael Nadal competed at Indian Wells for the first time. In 2019, the Spaniard returns for his 14th appearance as he pursues a fourth trophy at the BNP Paribas Open. 

Nadal has shown good form in 2019, advancing to the Australian Open, only to be stopped by the red-hot World No. 1 Novak Djokovic. While Nadal lost in the second round of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC, he played impressively to push eventual champion Nick Kyrgios to a final-set tie-break, giving him positive momentum heading into Indian Wells.

Fast Facts
– Nadal has won more BNP Paribas Open titles (3) than all other Spaniards combined (2). Jose Higueras lifted the trophy in 1983, and Alex Corretja triumphed at the tournament in 2000.

– In Nadal’s three victories at the ATP Masters 1000 event, he has lost a combined three sets. The first time he lifted the trophy in the desert, in 2007, Nadal did not drop a set. 

– Indian Wells is one of three Masters 1000 events at which Nadal has won 50 matches. Nadal, who holds a 50-10 record at the BNP Paribas Open, owns 68 wins in Monte-Carlo and 56 in Rome.

– In terms of titles, Indian Wells is Nadal’s second-most successful hard-court Masters 1000 event. The only other tournament at this level that the Spaniard has won more times is the Rogers Cup, which he has been victorious at four times.

Five Nadal Stats From Indian Wells
First Match: 2004, Nadal def. Lars Burgsmuller 6-2, 6-3 

First Title: 2007, Nadal def. Novak Djokovic 6-2, 7-5

Record: 50-10

Top 10 record : 9-6

6-0 Sets Won: 5

Watch Nadal Spend Time With Former World No. 1 Golfer Fred Couples At Indian Wells

Most Recent Appearance: 2017
Nadal missed the 2018 BNP Paribas Open due to a right hip injury. On his last appearance, in 2017, the Spaniard advanced to the Round of 16 before losing to Roger Federer in straight sets. It was the 11th time that Nadal made it that far at the Masters 1000 event.

Seed at the 2019 BNP Paribas Open: No. 2 

Did You Know?
Nadal has also lifted the doubles title at Indian Wells twice, partnering compatriot Marc Lopez on both occasions. The Spaniards triumphed in 2010 and 2012. In 2011, the pair lost a blockbuster semi-final against Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka.

It’s no surprise that the ‘Big Four’ of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray hold the four best hard-court records among active players at ATP Masters 1000 events. The quartet has also captured 13 of the past 15 titles at the BNP Paribas Open, which begins this week at Indian Wells.

The FedEx ATP Performance Zone shows the fifth player on the list is former World No. 3 Milos Raonic. The 28-year-old Canadian, currently ranked No. 14, has won 66.4 per cent of his Masters 1000 matches on hard courts. That ranks 13th overall among all players who have played 20 or more matches at this level. The eight-time ATP Tour champion has performed especially well at Indian Wells.

Raonic has advanced to the semi-finals or better on his past three appearances in the desert. At the year’s first Masters 1000 event he holds a 19-7 record, equating to a 73.1 winning percentage.

Best Hard-Court Masters 1000 Records (Active Players)

“I just have a personal calm at this event maybe compared to others. It’s a little bit quieter here. It’s easier to be around the tennis. You don’t have to fight through traffic to get here. You get here with ease, so I think that gives me a personal calm,” Raonic said at Indian Wells last year. “I think the conditions help. Obviously this year it’s quite a bit slower than it has been in the past, but the ball still moves through the air, even though the court slows it down a bit, but it’s always bounced high. So I think there have been a lot of things that have contributed to me feeling comfortable here.”

Raonic also owns 14 wins at Miami and Cincinnati, Masters 1000 events that are also played on hard courts. Overall, Raonic has advanced to the quarter-finals or better at hard-court tournaments at this level 17 times. 

The big-serving right-hander has made three Masters 1000 finals: 2013 Canada, 2014 Paris and 2016 Indian Wells. Fittingly, all of those efforts came on hard courts.

‘Big Three’ & American Legends Lead The Pack Overall
Djokovic and Federer, who have won 83.5 per cent and 80.0 per cent of their Masters 1000 hard-court matches, respectively, are Nos. 1 and 2 in the category for all players, not just those who are active. Two American former No. 1s Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras are right behind.

Agassi, who triumphed at Indian Wells in 2001, won 77.8 per cent of his Masters 1000 hard-court matches, while two-time champion Pete Sampras was victorious 77.2 per cent of the time. Nadal rounds out the Top 5 at 76.4 per cent.

Best Hard-Court Masters 1000 Records (Overall)

Guido Pella was just two games away from winning his maiden ATP Tour title earlier this month at the Cordoba Open. He eventually lost that final, however, his fourth on the ATP Tour.

But the Argentine didn’t stay discouraged, and on Sunday at the Brasil Open, playing in his fifth tour-level final, the 28-year-old won his first ATP Tour title. Pella spoke with ATPTour.com about what it means to him in this “First-Time Winner Spotlight”.

How does it feel to be an ATP Tour champion?
I always play very good in Brazil, because I have played here since I was 12 years old, so it’s a very special place for me. I couldn’t do it in Rio, I was very close. But here it is very special because it’s my first ATP title after my fifth final so it’s very important.

In the Cordoba final, you were up a set and 4-2 [and lost], and you were up the same score today. How did you rebound from Cordoba and get to this point?
It was very, very difficult because I thought about it a lot. But I think I served unbelievably well, and in tennis, if you serve good it’s very hard to get broken, and I think that was the key for the match.

When I was up 5-3 I thought that I was going to go for it, and after that who knows. But I think I was very calm… I finished with a winner, and it was the best match point I could have ever imagined.

You went 11-3 during the Golden Swing and didn’t lose a set in Sao Paulo. What would you say is working in your game right now?
I think I’m playing very solid from the baseline, forehand, backhand. I’m trying to go to the net more often just to finish the points earlier. In Sao Paulo, I always play really good. Last year I lost in the second round but I made the quarter-finals two years ago. So it’s a place that I feel very good with my game.

All of your finals have come on clay but the two biggest wins of your career have come on other surfaces. You beat Marin Cilic on grass (Wimbledon 2018) and Dominic Thiem on hard court (2017 Chengdu). Do you expect that you’ll be able to carry this momentum to the other surfaces this year?
Yeah, I made a couple of semi-finals, one in Doha [2018] and the other one in Chengdu [2017]. I can play on other surfaces. It’s just a matter of, keep playing, keep improving my game, and I think this year, I started very good. Tomorrow I will have my best ranking.

It’s been a very good year so far so I will try to do my best every week. When the U.S. hard-court swing comes, I will hope to play good and maybe try to win a tournament.

You’re working with Jose Acasuso, a former Top 20 player. As a coach, he seems so calm, doesn’t get too excited. How has he helped you?
That was the key, that’s why I hired him in the first place, because he’s very calm. I’m trying to be calm on court. Sometimes it’s very difficult, but I think every time I see him, he’s so calm so it’s good for me.

That’s one of the best qualities he has, and he knows a lot about tennis. He’s a very good coach for me, and it’s very important for the team that we can win some matches, to play finals, semi-finals, so it’s very good momentum for us and I hope to keep playing like this.

You fell to No. 166 in the ATP Rankings in February 2017. What caused you to fall like that, and how difficult has it been to get back up?
It was just one thing: Davis Cup. We [Argentina] won the Davis Cup in 2016 and after that it was devastating for all of us. I couldn’t stop [playing] like Del Potro, either, because I wasn’t so good in the rankings. So I had to play all the tournaments, and I lost confidence.

Tennis is like this – if you don’t play good, you can’t win matches… But I think after that I learned a lot about myself, about how I felt on court, and I think that was the key for me to be in this position now, to be playing more consistent on the tour. That’s a very good feeling for me because it’s really tough to win matches on the tour, and I’m doing a very good job.

After enduring that slump, how satisfying is it to be back in the Top 40 [projected to be No. 34 on Monday]?
Awesome. I remember 2017, I was talking to myself and thinking, will there be any chance to improve my [old career-high] ranking? Because No. 39, it’s a very good ranking, and I was playing very good at that time. And in 2017, I was struggling a little bit with my game… But last year I was playing really good, I made a final in Umag, and I was playing really good tennis, beating Cilic at Wimbledon.

I just focused more on my game, how to improve… I wasn’t thinking about anything else, and I think that was the key.

You’ve played at least three tournaments in the Golden Swing eight straight years. What do these events mean to you?
It’s an opportunity not to travel a lot. It’s two hours from home… It’s a very good opportunity for us to keep playing tennis in South America, to keep improving our ranking and to play on clay courts, which, after all, is our best surface… So I will continue to do this. I’m not planning to go to Europe in February; I will try to keep playing these tournaments because I felt very good in the past, I’m feeling very good now and I think I will feel very good in the future.

What were your expectations coming onto the clay this year? Were they high?
No… I was struggling not only with my game but with my legs. I was not feeling very fit. It was very tough for me to do the pre-season because I was not feeling very fit. When I went to Doha, and I played the first match, I felt very good but after that I couldn’t move for three days.

It was very bad for me because I was 25 hours from home, the Australian Open was two weeks after Doha, so it was not the best beginning of the year for me. But after that I said, it’s OK. I’m going to play at home for two weeks. It’s a very good chance for me to play good, to get the rhythm and I think I did a very good job.

The fifth time was the charm for Guido Pella.

While the Argentine fell short in his first four ATP Tour finals, he won his maiden trophy on Sunday. Pella defeated Chilean Christian Garin 7-5, 6-3 to triumph at the Brasil Open.

Pella did not drop a set in the tournament, finishing off his dream week with a one-hour, 23-minute victory in the championship match. Pella could have shown nerves after he broke Garin in the second set to move into prime position to finish off his win. After all, the 28-year-old held a set-and-a-break lead in the Cordoba Open final last month before ultimately losing to Juan Ignacio Londero.

But this time, after saving break point in the second set (at 2-1), Pella never looked back. On his first championship point, the left-hander laced a forehand down the line for a winner and fell to his knees in celebration. With the title and the 250 ATP Ranking points he gains from his efforts, Pella will climb to a career-best World No. 34 on Monday. The Argentine also leaves Brazil with $94,830 in prize money.

The difference in the match was Pella’s consistency in the big moments. While he did not dominate Garin from the baseline and control play throughout, Pella played his best tennis on break points — both for and against him. The third seed saved six of the seven break points he faced, while converting four of his seven opportunities. 

Pella finishes his ‘Golden Swing’ at 11-3, as he was a finalist in Cordoba and a semi-finalist at the Argentina Open. On Saturday, Pella battled past Rio de Janeiro champion Laslo Djere in two tie-breaks to put himself in position to defeat Garin.

While Garin could not lift his first ATP Tour title in his maiden final at this level, it was a confidence-building week for the Chilean. Before February, he had not won a match at an ATP Tour event since Santiago in 2013. But he earned a victory at both the Argentina Open and the Rio Open presented by Claro, and now has experienced his first championship match at tour-level. Nicolas Jarry, another Chilean, reached his first tour-level final in Sao Paulo last year (l. to Fognini).

Garin departs Sao Paulo with 150 ATP Ranking points, which will catapult him to a new career-high inside the Top 75. The 22-year-old also earns $51,280.

Did You Know?
Pella is the seventh first-time ATP Tour champion so far this season. Alex de Minaur (Sydney), Tennys Sandgren (Auckland), Londero (Cordoba), Reilly Opelka (New York), Laslo Djere (Rio de Janeiro) and Radu Albot (Delray Beach) also lifted their maiden trophies earlier this season.

The BNP Paribas Open, the first of nine ATP Masters 1000 tournaments on the 2019 calendar, showcases the best men’s and women’s players at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Novak Djokovic (5), Roger Federer (5), Rafael Nadal (3), Juan Martin del Potro (1) and Ivan Ljubicic (1) have combined to win the past 15 editions in Indian Wells. Americans winners since 1990 include Andre Agassi, Michael Chang, Jim Courier and Pete Sampras.

Federer, who claimed his 100th title on Saturday in Dubai, and reigning Australian Open champion Djokovic are each looking to win the BNP Paribas Open for a record sixth time. Nadal, a three-time Indian Wells champion, will aim to add to his record haul of 33 Masters 1000 titles. 

Here’s all you need to know about the Indian Wells tennis tournament: when is the draw, what is the schedule, where to watch, who won and more. 

Established:1976

Tournament Dates: 7-17 March 2019

Tournament Director:Tommy Haas

Draw Ceremony: Tuesday, 5 March 2019 at 3pm PT at the Stadium Plaza Video Wall

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Schedule (View On Official Website)
* Qualifying: 5-6 March at 11am 
* Main draw: starts Thursday, 7 March; 7-13 March 11am & 6pm, 14 March at 11am & 5pm, 15 March at 11am & 6:30pm
* Singles semi-finals: Saturday, 16 March at 11am
* Doubles final: Saturday, 16 March, fourth match on centre
* Singles final: Sunday, 17 March, not before 3:30pm (after women’s singles final)

How To Watch
Watch Live On Tennis TV  

Venue: Indian Wells Tennis Garden
Main Court Seating: 16,100

Prize Money: USD $8,359,455 (Total Financial Commitment: USD $9,314,875) 

Tickets On Sale: Buy Now

View Who Is Playing, Past Champions, Seeds, Points & Prize Money Breakdown

Honour Roll (Open Era)
Most Titles, Singles: Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer (5)
Most Titles, Doubles: Guy Forget (5)
Oldest Champion: Roger Federer, 35, in 2017
Youngest Champion: Boris Becker, 19, in 1987
Lowest-Ranked Champion (since 1982): No. 143 Larry Stefanki in 1985
Most Match Wins: Roger Federer (62) 

2018 Finals
Singles: [6] Juan Martin del Potro (ARG) d [1] Roger Federer (SUI) 64 67(8) 76(2)   Read & Watch
Doubles: John Isner (USA) / Jack Sock (USA) d [7] Bob Bryan (USA) / Mike Bryan (USA) 76(4) 76(2)  Read More

Social
Hashtag: #BNPPO19 #TennisParadise
Facebook: @BNPPARIBASOPEN
Twitter: @BNPPARIBASOPEN
Instagram: @bnpparibasopen

Did You Know… The BNP Paribas Open has been voted by ATP players as the best Masters 1000 tournament for five straight years. Stadium 1 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden is the second largest in the world, with more than 16,000 seats and 44 suites. In 2014, the tournament debuted a brand new, permanent 8,000-seat Stadium 2, which offers spectators a chance to dine at Nobu while watching the action on court.