BNP Paribas Open women's storylines: Is Iga Swiatek unbeatable? Could an American win?

The top 75 women's tennis players in the world will be at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in the desert in March to showcase everything that is great about the women's game.

Champions and challengers will vie for the BNP Paribas Open title, one of the most coveted trophies on the WTA Tour.

Here are some key storylines from the women's field in Indian Wells to keep an eye on throughout the action-packed fortnight.

Seeking an American champion

Heading into last year's BNP Paribas Open, a primary storyline was that no American man or woman had won a singles title in Indian Wells in over 20 years. Taylor Fritz eliminated half of that conversation with his unlikely victory on the men's side. Now all the focus of the American drought shifts to the women.

Not since Serena Williams in 2001 has an American woman hoisted the trophy as the singles champion here. Is this the year? There are some contenders on the American side who are playing great tennis. In fact, the United States is the only country with two players ranked in the top 10 of the most recent world rankings. Jessica Pegula is at No. 3 and just reached the final at an event in Doha. Coco Gauff is ranked No. 6 and is poised for her first high-level win. Madison Keys, Amanda Anisimova, Danielle Collins and Shelby Rogers are all ranked in the top 40. Keys made the deepest run last year, reaching the quarterfinals at Indian Wells.

There's no reason 2023 can't be the year. There has not been a dominating force on the women's side at this event. There has been a different champion in each of the last nine years, and seven of those champions came from outside the top 10.

Are we in the Iga era?

Iga Swiatek marched to the title last year, and looked very comfortable on the hardcourts of Indian Wells. It was a springboard to a remarkable year for Swiatek, who went on to complete the Sunshine double by winning in Miami. She then won the French Open and the U.S. Open. She has been entrenched as the world's No. 1 player for months, and in her last two tournaments scored a record-breaking easy win in Doha and lost in the finals in Dubai.

Swiatek is the best player in the world, and she's playing at a high level. She is by far the biggest favorite we've had entering the tournament in years, but can she get a repeat title? That is exceedingly rare here. In fact, it's only happened once. Martina Navratilova won the event in 1990 and 1991, so it's been 32 years.

If not Iga, then who?

If Swiatek doesn't hoist the trophy, who will? A good place to start is Aryna Sabalenka. Sabalenka is coming off her first Grand Slam title after capturing the crown in Australia in January. The Belarusian star has the game and would have to be installed as the clear No. 2 if you're listing the favorites.

Maria Sakkari of Greece, who lost to Swiatek in last year's BNP Paribas Open final, is due for a breakthrough win. She's a name to consider. Last year's Wimbledon champion, Elena Rybakina from Kazakhstan, enters this year's event now knowing she can win at the highest level.

It's been commonplace for a player way outside the top 10 to win this event in recent years as Naomi Osaka (2018) and Bianca Andreescu (2019) have shown. What about Leylah Fernandez? The young Canadian star showed in the 2021 U.S. Open that she is capable of stringing together magical performances. She enters this event ranked No. 32 so she should have a protected seed and the North-of-the-border fans on her side.

Former champions set to rise up?

One of the unusual statistical nuggets about this tournament is that no woman has ever won the event more than twice, so multiple titles here are a rare thing.

However, when a player has won at an event and a venue already, they arrive with that confidence in tow. There are four former champions in the field. Swiatek, of course, is bidding for back-to-back, but the other three former champions shouldn't be counted out.

Paula Badosa, who won at Indian Wells in 2021 and made the semifinals last year, is a fantastic candidate to grab her second win here. She won her 2021 title in an epic final over Victoria Azarenka, who returns and has already won twice at Indian Wells in 2012 and 2016. At age 33, Azarenka is playing great tennis, including a run to the semifinals in Australia. She is perfectly capable of becoming the event's first three-time women's singles champion. The other defending champion is Andreescu. The Canadian star burst on the scene here with her win in 2019 and later won the U.S. Open that same year. Since then, she's battled injuries and has taken time away from the game. She's back this year and ready to go for another BNP run.

Shad Powers is a columnist for The Desert Sun. Reach him at shad.powers@desertsuncom.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: BNP Paribas Open: Is Iga Swiatek unbeatable? Could an American woman win at Indian Wells?