Naomi Osaka, Aryna Sabalenka headline Eisenhower Cup tennis exhibition at Indian Wells
The BNP Paribas Open kicks off Monday, and several of the biggest names in women’s tennis will offer fans a preview before the main draw begins.
On March 8 as part of International Women’s Day, Naomi Osaka will headline a group that includes Simona Halep, Aryna Sabalenka and others in the 2022 Eisenhower Cup. The round robin Tiebreak Tens exhibition will take place inside Stadium 2 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Tickets are $25.
The Tie Break Tens format consists of first-to-10-point tie break matches. The event will be an eight-player single elimination draw, with a total of seven matches being held during the course of the evening. The event will begin at 7:30 p.m.
Also playing in the event are Paula Badosa, last year’s BNP Paribas Open singles champion, sixth-ranked Maria Sakkari, 10th-ranked Ons Jabeur and 2021 U.S. Open finalist Leylah Fernandez. One more participant has yet to be announced.
The winner of the Eisenhower Cup will receive $150,000 from the BNP Paribas Open. All ticket proceeds for the event will be donated to local women’s organizations.
“Tennis fans will get to see the brightest stars of the WTA Tour in action during this unique and fun event, and we thank all of these incredible players for their participation,” said Tommy Haas, the BNP Paribas Open tournament director. “What a perfect way to welcome everyone to another year in tennis paradise.”
Canadian Milos Raonic won the inaugural Eisenhower Cup in 2019. Raonic beat out Rafael Nadal, Stan Wawrinka, David Goffin, Marin Cilic, Dominic Thiem, Taylor Fritz and Gael Monfils for the grand prize. A crowd of 7,441 filled the 8,000-seat stadium for the event.
The BNP Paribas Open was not held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Eisenhower Cup remained on hiatus in 2021, as the tournament was brought back in October, with less planning time to pull the event together.
This year’s tournament will mark the first time Osaka will have played at Indian Wells since 2019. She won the event in 2018 as an unseeded player and the breakthrough set off a run that has included four Grand Slam singles titles in four years.
Sabalenka, who ranks third in the world, also has not played at Indian Wells since 2019. She was in town and set to play in October, but she contracted COVID-19 and was forced to withdraw.
Tickets to the Eisenhower Cup are on sale at bnpparibasopen.com/eisenhower-cup.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Naomi Osaka headlines Eisenhower Cup exhibition at Indian Wells
