Clijsters set to make a comeback at Indian Wells

INDIAN WELLS: Three-time US Open champion and two-time winner at Indian Wells, Belgium's former world No. 1 Kim Clijsters, will be making her first appearance at the BNP Paribas Open in a decade, and will meet Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic in the opening-round at Indian Wells. According to the draw revealed on Tuesday (IST), Grand Slam champions Simona Halep and Emma Raducanu of Great Britain could face off in the third round.

The BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells returns to the WTA calendar after a two-and-a-half-year absence. The main draw sets up some fascinating early encounters for the season's final WTA 1000 event.

Even though the 32 seeded players have opening-round byes, many intriguing first-round clashes will start off the event, including the return of Clijsters to Indian Wells. Clijsters is playing the event for the first time since 2011. Former world No.1 Clijsters, who received a wildcard into the main draw, will kick off her campaign against world No.53 Katerina Siniakova. The winner of that opener will face another former world No.1 and multiple major champion in the second round, No.10 seed Angelique Kerber of Germany.

Four-time Grand Slam champion Clijsters, who won titles at Indian Wells in 2003 and 2005, still seeks her first tour-level win since her 2012 retirement season. She returned in 2020 and suffered close losses in her three matches last year, to Garbine Muguruza, Johanna Konta, and Ekaterina Alexandrova. In her season debut last week in Chicago, she fell in three sets to Hsieh Su-wei. Another Grand Slam champion contesting this week's first round is 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens, who will meet Heather Watson. IANS

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