Eisenhower Cup a great way to see top pros all in one place at Indian Wells

Shad Powers, Palm Springs Desert Sun
·2 min read
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Tennis fans who want to see the top players in town for the BNP Paribas Open competing and having fun together may want to consider grabbing a ticket to Tuesday night's Eisenhower Cup. It's not too late.

The Eisenhower Cup is a Tie Break Tens event, which is a fast-paced competition, featuring eight mixed-doubles teams this year. It's becoming an annual highlight of the first week of the tournament. Last year's Eisenhower Cup was a similar competition but featured eight top women playing singles. This year fans will see 16 of the best players in the BNP Paribas Open field, including both defending champions and multiple Grand Slam champions.

The victorious tandem will grab the winner-take-all $200,000 prize. Here are the star-power-filled teams:

Leylah Fernandez of Canada smiles as she’s announced before the start of the Eisenhower Cup tennis exhibition at Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, Calif., Tuesday, March 8, 2022.
Leylah Fernandez of Canada smiles as she’s announced before the start of the Eisenhower Cup tennis exhibition at Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, Calif., Tuesday, March 8, 2022.

  • Aryna Sabalenka (2023 Australian Open champ) will play with Taylor Fritz (defending BNP champ)

  • Iga Swiatek (world No. 1, defending BNP champ) will play with Hubert Hurkacz (World No. 10)

  • Emma Raducanu (2021 U.S. Open champ) will play with Cam Norrie (2021 BNP champ)

  • Leylah Fernandez (2021 U.S. Open finalist) will play with countryman Felix Auger-Aliassime (World No. 8)

  • Jessica Pegula (World No. 3) will play with fellow American Tommy Paul (2023 Australian Open semifinalist)

  • Ons Jabeur (World No. 4) will play with Casper Ruud (World No. 4)

  • Maria Sakkari (2022 BNP finalist) will play with Stefanos Tsitsipas (World No. 3)

  • Belinda Bencic (World No. 9) will play with Stan Wawrinka (three-time Grand Slam champ)

The action takes place on Stadium 2 and begins at 7:15 p.m. with gates opening at 5:45 p.m. The event will also be televised by the Tennis Channel from 7:30-9:30 p.m.

Tickets start at $50, parking is free and proceeds will go to local desert charities.

The Tie Break Tens format is a fast-paced way to cycle through matches. It's a first-to-10 tie-break set. The two teams will play until one team wins 10 points, there are no games, now sets in a traditional sense. It will be an eight-team single-elimination draw. There will be a total of seven matches played.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: BNP Paribas Open: Eisenhower Cup a great way to see top pros all in one place at Indian Wells