Alexandra Eala and Emma Raducanu will be among the big names in action at the 2026 BNP Paribas Open. But with 96 players set to compete at Indian Wells, are the two talented youngsters among the seeded players in this WTA 1000 event?
Eala will be making her Indian Wells debut this year, while Raducanu will look to make it past the fourth round for the first time.
Alexandra Eala and Emma Raducanu’s Seeding Status at Indian Wells
Both Eala and Raducanu are among the seeded players at the 2026 BNP Paribas Open. Raducanu will be the 25th seed while Eala will be the 31st seed at Indian Wells. The top 32 seeds receive a bye into the second round of the BNP Paribas Open, so Raducanu and Eala will not have to compete in the first round.
The top seed is women’s World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who will be aiming to triumph at Indian Wells for the first time in her career. Iga Świątek is seeded second, followed by Elena Rybakina and the American trio of Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, and Amanda Anisimova.
Reigning champion Mirra Andreeva is seeded eighth, with Jasmine Paolini (7th), Elina Svitolina (9th), and Victoria Mboko (10th) the other players in the top 10. The 2026 BNP Paribas Open will get underway on Wednesday, March 4, with the women’s singles final scheduled to take place on Saturday, March 14.
It has been an up-and-down season so far for both Eala and Raducanu. The former started her year with a run to the semifinals at the ASB Classic. Eala, who has quickly established herself as one of the most excited young players on the WTA Tour, was then stunned by Alycia Parks in the first round of the Australian Open, losing 6-0, 3-6, 2-6.
At her home tournament in the Philippines, Eala was eliminated in the quarterfinals. Another quarterfinal run followed in Abu Dhabi, before Eala was beaten in the first round in Doha. Eala reached the quarterfinals in Dubai, where she was beaten by Gauff, 0-6, 2-6.
Raducanu started her season by making the quarterfinals in Hobart. She was eliminated in the second round of the Australian Open before enjoying an impressive run to the final at the Transylvania Open. There she was beaten by Sorana Cîrstea in straight sets.
The Brit’s struggles then resumed in Qatar and Dubai, where she suffered first-round exits at both tournaments on the Middle East Swing. She will now hope to turn the tide during the Sunshine Swing.
