Jason Flash
One of the marquee events on the ATP and WTA calendar – the 2021 Indian Wells (also known as the 2021 BNP Paribas Open) starts on October 4. While a few stars are skipping out – as this tennis season has been as gruelling as any – there is still a talented field of veterans and youngsters we scour over in our 2021 Indian Well betting predictions.
Indian Wells 2021 Tournament Details
- First time held since 2019
- 96 players in both singles draw
- 32 players in each draw get a wildcard into the second round
- The event was rescheduled from March to October
- Winners get 1000 points and $1.209 million
- Best Bet to Wins the Men’s Singles Tournament
Best Bet to Win the 2021 ATP Indian Wells
| To Win the ATP - Indian Wells |  |
| Daniil Medvedev | TBD |
| Stefanos Tsitsipas | TBD |
| Alexander Zverev | TBD |
| Andrey Rublev | TBD |
| Matteo Berrettini | TBD |
| Casper Ruud | TBD |
| Felix Auger-Aliassime | TBD |
| Hubert Hurkacz | TBD |
| Jannik Sinner | TBD |
| Diego Schwartzman | TBD |
| Pablo Carreno Busta | TBD |
With Novak Djokovic out, the field opens up and betting possibilities on the winner of ATP Indian Wells opens up. The top dog in the tournament is Daniil Medvedev – who has not played since his win at the 2021 US Open.
Medvedev has been on a tear lately on hard surfaces. After making the quarterfinals at the 2021 Olympic Summer Games, Medvedev has one loss at his last three tournaments (all on hard surfaces). He won the 2021 Canadian Masters and followed it with a semifinals appearance at the Cincinnati Masters (also known as the Western and Southern Open) to go with his win at the 2021 US Open.
It’s time.
After 932 days away, professional tennis makes its return to Indian Wells 🌴 pic.twitter.com/XYpv0zjPE0
— BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) October 4, 2021
No one in the world right now – except for Djokovic – is playing better than Daniil Medvedev. It is hard to bet against him – especially with the guys who give him the most trouble (Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal) not in the tournament. Take Daniil Medvedev to continue his winning ways at the Indian Wells.
Best Underdog to Win the Men’s Singles Tournament
If you want to take a flyer on a long shot at the 2021 Indian Wells, Filip Krajinovic is the guy to bet. Krajinovic advanced to the quarterfinals in 2019 – despite entering the tournament as the 113 seed.
Since his surprise performance at the 2019 rendition, Krajinovic has climbed to 34 in the world (with a peak ranking of 26). In his last tournament, the 2021 ATP Sofia, he advanced to the semifinals before losing to top-seed Jannik Sinner. There is value in betting on Krajinovic as the surprise winner of the tournament.
Best Bet to Win the Women’s Singles Tournament
| To Win the WTA - Indian Wells | |
| Emma Raducanu | +750 |
| Barboa Krejcikova | +1200 |
| Garbine Muguruza | +1200 |
| Iga Swiatek | +1200 |
| Karolina Pliskoba | +1200 |
| Maria Sakkari | +1400 |
| Ons Jabeur | +1600 |
| Elena Rybakina | +1800 |
| Bianca Andresscu | +2000 |
| Belinda Bencic | +2200 |
The women’s singles draw at the 2021 Indian Wells is loaded with young and established stars. Emma Raducanu – fresh off of her win at the 2021 US Open – is the favourite heading into the tournament. While she looks like she has the chops to be the real deal, we do not see the value in picking her as our best bet to win the 2021 Indian Wells.
Instead, we are placing two bets on players with similar tennis betting odds to win – Bianca Andreescu and Belinda Bencic.
Why Bianca Andreescu Will Win
Although Bianca Andreescu is not matching her peak (42-8 record In 2019), she has shown some gusto on the court this year. She won three matches at the 2021 US Open before barely losing to Maria Sakkari 6-7(2), 7-6 (6), 6-3.
Earlier in the 2021 season, Bianca battled her way to the 2021 Miami Finals (a hard surface tournament) before losing to Ashleigh Barty. Barty is one of three top-10 players not playing at the Indian Wells this year.
Andreescu played excellently at the 2019 Indian Wells. She entered the tournament as a wild card and dropped only one set on route to winning the tournament. It was one of her four victories on a hard court in 2019. She still has the ability to play like did in 2019 – which is why she is one of our picks to win the tournament.
Why Belinda Bencic Will Win
Since winning the Gold Medal at the 2021 Summer Games, Belinda Bencic is consistently putting together quality runs at tournaments. Bencic has made five straight quarter-finals appearances – including the 2021 US Open.
At the 2019 Indian Wells, Bencic advanced to the semi-finals before losing to Angelique Kerber in straight sets. It was an impressive run to the semis with Bencic picking up wins against world no.1 Naomi Osaka and world no.5 Karolina Pliskova.
Throwing it back to @Bandreescu_‘s breakthrough at Indian Wells 2019!
Some of the most astonishing performances from an 18-year-old you ever did see… 🔥
How far will the defending champ go at #BNPPO21?
— wta (@WTA) October 5, 2021
Bencic’s draw at the 2021 Indian Wells is favourable. The best player on her side of the bracket is Iga Swiatek. Swiatek is the world no.4. Her high ranking is due to her strong play on clay. Swiatek won consecutive tournaments on clay – including the 2021 French Open.
However, she has not been as effective on grass or hard courts – including a straight-sets loss to Bencic at the 2021 US Open. We like Bencic to win Quarter 4 and make the semi-finals (where she only needs two more wins to win the 2021 Indian Wells).
Top Sportsbooks to Bet on the Indian Wells
Find the top sportsbooks to bet on the 2021 Indian Wells below.
