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Coco Gauff is facing an uphill battle to remain at No 4 in the WTA Rankings following her third-round retirement at the Indian Wells Open.

The two-time Grand Slam winner struggled throughout her encounter against Alex Eala as she first felt a sharp pain in her left forearm during the second game of the match and eventually took a medical timeout for treatment while 2-5 down.

Eala went on to break again to wrap up the first set and then won the opening two games of the next set before Gauff threw in the towel.

The American is set for an MRI scan in the next few days to determine the extent of her injury and whether or not she will be fit to compete at the next WTA 1000 tournament, the Miami Open, which gets underway on March 17.

Gauff says her team were confident it was not a long-term injury, stating: “We’re going tomorrow to get an MRI and to see what’s going on. Good news is they don’t think it’s going to be like a long-term type of situation, so I should be fine for Miami.

“Yeah, we’ve just got to figure out exactly what it is and, I guess, how to prevent it in the future.”

Points Earned And Rankings Permutations

Gauff started the Indian Wells Open at No 4 in the WTA Rankings with 6,803 points and had 120 points to defend after reaching the quarter-final a year ago.

Her run to the third round was worth 65 points so the American will be -55 after the California event with her overall tally 6,748.

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With her two closest rivals Jessica Pegula and Amanda Anisimova still alive, Gauff could slip down the rankings if they both enjoy deep runs.

Pegula sits on 6,528 points in the Live Rankings ahead of her third-round match while Anisimova is on 6,180 after reaching the fourth round with a two-set win over Emma Raducanu.

But there is good news for Gauff as Pegula will need to reach the semi-final to overtake her in the rankings while Anisimova can only move ahead of her if she wins the title.

Prize Money Earned

Gauff, who is yet to win a title so far in 2026, was on $1,268,715 prize money for the year before the WTA 1000 tournament in California and she will add another $61,865 to her bank account.

With her overall total growing to $31,089,701, she finds herself in 11th place on the all-time list with Angelique Kerbert in 10th place on $32,545,460.

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Emma Raducanu made an honest confession about the challenge of facing the top players in women’s tennis after her heavy defeat to Amanda Anisimova in Indian Wells.

In the third round at the WTA 1000 event in Indian Wells, Raducanu was crushed 6-1, 6-1 in just 52 minutes by world No 6 Anisimova.

The world No 24 was broken in five of her seven service games and was unable to create a break point as she won only 21 of the 74 points she played against her 24-year-old American opponent.

The 2021 US Open champion had entered the match after a dominant 6-1, 6-3 victory over 86th-ranked Anastasia Zakharova in the second round.

Speaking to Sky Sports after her loss to Anisimova, Raducanu assessed her Indian Wells Open campaign.

“I think I had a great first match and was in a much better place with my game. Against Amanda, it was difficult even to come close to putting my stamp on the match,” said the Brit.

“I think also that goes with playing Amanda — she is that type of opponent who likes to put her stamp on it first, and that was very evident today.

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“Obviously, have to take some positives. The first match here was better than a lot of matches I’ve been playing recently.

“But yeah, a match like that [against Anisimova] is never easy to take afterwards. I couldn’t really get into the rally.”

Raducanu reunited with her former coach Mark Petchey in Indian Wells, and she addressed whether she will continue working with the former British No 1 ahead of the Miami Open.

“Mark helped me out a lot this week and it was nice to be on court with him again,” said Raducanu.

“But he will be commentating for Tennis Channel this week, probably until the end, so I don’t know how much time I will get with him before Miami.”

In her press conference, Raducanu was honest about the firepower “gap” she felt between herself and Anisimova.

“When I’m playing someone who’s at the top like that, I think they have an extra 10 miles an hour on their serve than me,” said the 23-year-old.

“If I’m not feeling it, that gap feels more evident in terms of weight of shot, in terms of power.

“You just feel a little bit behind and your punches aren’t landing as much as theirs are.

“I need to be aggressive when playing those players, but I think there’s still a long way to go to be doing that. I need to use my strengths and probably mix it up a bit more.”

READ NEXT: Miami Open withdrawal list: 6 players out, will Coco Gauff play after Indian Wells retirement?

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While the Indian Wells Open is ongoing, six players have already pulled out of the Miami Open, while there is uncertainty over the participation of Coco Gauff.

The Miami Open is the second leg of the US Sunshine Double in March following Indian Wells, and three players have withdrawn from both the men’s and women’s singles events in Florida.

There were 17 players who pulled out across both singles events in Indian Wells before the draws were made, while a further two players withdrew before their opening matches.

Main draw action at the 2026 Miami Open, which will be the 41st edition of the event, will take place from 17-29 March after the conclusion of the Indian Wells Open on 15 March.

The combined ATP/WTA 1000 tournament in Miami has been held on outdoor hard courts at the Hard Rock Stadium since 2019.

Both the men’s and women’s singles draws at the Miami Open feature 96 players, including 32 seeds — who each receive an opening round bye.

WTA Miami Open withdrawal list

World No 37 Lois Boisson is the highest-ranked player who was on the original Miami Open women’s singles entry list to withdraw from the event.

The 22-year-old Frenchwoman also missed the Indian Wells Open, and she has not competed since September due to injury. Her place in the main draw has been taken by world No 64 Katie Boulter.

• Lois Boisson (world No 37) – replaced by Katie Boulter
• Oleksandra Oliynykova (world No 73) – replaced by Oksana Selekhmeteva
• Wang Yafan (world No 355 – entered with protected ranking) – replaced by Anastasia Potapova

ATP Miami Open withdrawal list

Holger Rune, Tallon Griekspoor and Jaume Munar all withdrew from the Indian Wells Open, and the trio will also miss the Miami Open.

Rune and Griekspoor were projected to be seeded in Miami based on their current ranking positions.

• Holger Rune (world No 18) – replaced by Juan Manuel Cerundolo
• Tallon Griekspoor (world No 25) – replaced by James Duckworth
• Jaume Munar (world No 36) replaced by Alexander Shevchenko

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Will Coco Gauff play?

Coco Gauff remains signed up to play in Miami, but there is some uncertainty over her presence at the event after she retired in her Indian Wells third round match against Alex Eala due to an arm injury.

The world No 4 was unable to continue when trailing 2-6, 0-2 against Eala and revealed afterwards that the “nerve-related” issue in her arm was a “scary feeling.”

“I guess a simple way to put it, it felt like a firework was going off inside of my arm, and then my whole arm felt like it was on fire,” the 21-year-old American told reporters.

“We’re going to figure out what it is tomorrow, but based off the feeling, being told that it’s probably something nerve-related. Never had anything like this before, never felt anything, a sensation like this before.

“And then as the match played, it got progressively worse, even when I wasn’t using my arm on shots that I wasn’t even using my left arm for.

“It was feeling like fireworks at times. Yeah, it was a scary feeling, but yeah, I don’t know.”

The two-time Grand Slam champion confirmed that she would have an MRI scan and declared she “should be fine” for the Miami Open.

“We’re going tomorrow to get an MRI and to see what’s going on,” Gauff said.

“Good news is they don’t think it’s going to be like a long-term type of situation, so I should be fine for Miami. Yeah, we’ve just got to figure out exactly what it is and, I guess, how to prevent it in the future.”

READ NEXT: Indian Wells Open: Daniil Medvedev reveals ‘toughest part’ about Dubai ordeal

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Alex Eala has yet to win a WTA Tour title and she has not even broken into the top 20 of the rankings, but there is a big reason why she may already be the most attractive option for sponsors looking to sign up the ultimate tennis influencer.

Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff may be the stand-out names on the WTA Tour, with the trio winning three of the four Grand Slam titles up for grabs in 2025, yet it was also a year when Eala made her big breakthrough.

The Filipina player made her big breakthrough almost a year ago, as she moved through the draw at the WTA 1000 Miami Open tournament, beating Swiatek en-route to the semi-finals.

That propelled her to star status and the popularity she gained in Miami has continued throughout the last 12 months.

Every tournament she plays in sees fans from her homeland and around the world flocking to her practice sessions and her matches, with her charm on and off the court highlighted in the numerous interviews she is asked to take part in.

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“It means the world to have this community behind me in such a prestigious tournament,” said Eala, as she was asked about the huge support she has received during her appearance in this week’s Indian Wells Open.

“For them to make the effort to stay up late and stay in the cold and cheer me on, so it really added to the feelings and the emotions after the match.”

When asked whether she is proud of how far she can come in the last year, she added: “I think my five-year-old self would be proud to be sure. But I want to say not too surprised. I think of course at that age your imagination can go wild.

“As long as I can remember, this has been my dream. I’ve really worked hard for this to happen, for myself to succeed. And obviously the people around me.

“You can imagine a five-year-old training in Manila having her grandfather as a coach. At a very young age I was training many hours compared to a lot of the other athletes surrounding me.

“I would go out on a limb to say that the sacrifice had already started back then. I think she would be proud.”

Eala’s popularity has not been overlooked by sponsors, with Nike. Babolat and Globe Telecom among her current backers, along with Bank of the Philippine Islands and Locally Juice.

There are also plenty of rumours filtering through the tennis grapevine that Eala is being lined-up for some big sponsorship deals in the coming months, with some A-list companies looking at Eala’s story and seeing comparisons to that of Emma Raducanu after her 2021 US Open win.

Both players have a big fan bases in the lucrative market in Japan, China and the Philippines, as well as global appeal that will be make Eala a target for some big companies looking for a new ambassador.

Sky Sports lead presenter Gigi Salmon has given her verdict on what Eala could achieve, as she spoke to at a Sky Sports Tennis event in London.

“I would say, in terms of her appeal, the crowds that follow her, she might already be the biggest star,” said Salmon.

“Coco Gauff said after one of her matches recently that she was really sorry for holding up a match with Alex and promise the fans that she would be out soon. Players are already saying, which they used to say with Roger Federer, I know you didn’t come to support me, but thank you very much.

“I remember Miami last year. I spoke to her a few times on that run through to the semi-final and the clouds were phenomenal. 
And this year in the Middle East, it’s been sensational.

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“In Dubai, it was a like a pop concert. It was like Taylor Swift was playing. People were screaming and maybe that can become a burden at some point, but I like the fact that at the moment, she just seems to be flourishing. She thanked them all and she’s a superstar. I just think she’s got everything.”

Eala was comprehensively beaten in her match against Gauff in Dubai and the question must be whether she can lift her game to the next level and challenge the true greats to the game.

At the age of 20, she has time on her side to develop her physicality and her presence on court, with Salmon excited to see where she can go in 2026.

“She hits a big ball,” she added. “She’s training for Rafael Nadal Academy, we know she’s done it for a few years, but I think she can go far.”

READ NEXT: Roger Federer’s former coach reveals what he likes about Alex Eala and her game

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Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner has not just dominated the men’s game over the last couple of years, but they have also inflicted mental damage on their opponents that may not heal.

That’s the verdict of Sky Sports lead presenter Gigi Salmon, who believes the likes of Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev no longer believe they can beat the two top ranked players in men’s tennis when the pressure is applied.

Alcaraz and Sinner have won all nine of the last Grand Slam tournaments, with the trail of destruction they have left among their rivals ensuring they have a psychological advantage over them when they take to the court.

That has inspired Salmon to suggest the players who may eventually challenge Alcaraz and Sinner may come from the next generation of stars emerging through the men’s ranks.

The likes of Joao Fonseca and Jakub Mensik have confirmed they can rise to the challenge against the ‘Big 2’ in the men’s game, with Salmon convinced the big challengers will emerge.

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“These two have set the bar so high and I’m fascinated to see who can challenge them,” Salmon told Tennis365.

“There is so much scar tissue for the players ranked three and below that I think it may be one of the next generation that coms through and challenges Alcaraz and Sinner.

“It is going to be Jakub Mensic, who is like Dolph Lundgren in the Rocky film. He’s like he is just going to storm in and do this.

“Then I look at Jack Draper and he seemed to be getting close to that level to challenge Alcaraz and Sinner until he got his injury problems.

“Maybe there will be more young players coming through because I just feel the Zverevs, the Medvedevs the Rublevs, they have been beaten so often by Alcaraz and Sinner that maybe they don’t believe they can beat them anymore.

“So I think it needs to be one of the young guys to come through and steamroller them and in a way, I hope that doesn’t happen.

“I’m happy to see Alcaraz and Sinner play in all the big finals and anyone who says it’s boring is wrong. They bring such amazing tennis on court when they play each other and I just want to see more of it.”

Alcaraz and Sinner could have their first meeting of 2026 at the Indian Wells Open, with Salmon suggesting their eagerness to improve their game is an impressive part of their make-up.

“What I love about the two of them is whenever they have a defeat, they go away and work on coming back stronger,” added Salmon.

“I remember Jannik said at the back end of last year, I want to add more variety and I don’t want to be so predictable. He said he was prepared to take some losses to get there.

“He has lost a couple of matches this year and maybe we didn’t expect him to lose, but I would never worry about him. I’d expect him to come back stronger and that’s what we will see from him at Indian Wells.”

READ NEXT: Carlos Alcaraz gets Jannik Sinner warning as Boris Becker answers ‘unbeatable’ question

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Carlos Alcaraz says he has made his feelings clear about his unhappiness with chair umpires’ strictness when it comes to the shot clock rule as he admitted that he doesn’t have much hope that things will change.

The world No 1 slammed the “s***” rule during his recent title run at the Qatar Open after he got involved in an intense exchange with the chair umpire following a time violation during his quarter-final win over Karen Khachanov.

Alcaraz told his team: “The ATP rules are always s***, it’s s***, s***” and also addressed the issue during his post-match press conference as he stated: “Personally, I think there should be a bit more leniency, even a reconsideration of the rule, because in such tough matches, the same thing always happens, and to me, it’s ridiculous.”

It wasn’t the first time that he has had a problem with the rule, as he also got involved in a spat during the Japan Open last year.

Although he didn’t have any issues with the 25-second shot clock rule during his second-round win over Grigor Dimitrov at the Indian Wells Open, the seven-time Grand Slam winner was quizzed about the issue after his match.

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“To be honest, I haven’t spoke to them. To be honest, nobody came to me to ask me what is my opinion about it,” Alcaraz said.

“So it’s like, yeah, it’s gonna be like that, I would say. I don’t want to waste my time, to be honest, because there have been other situations that you go to complain or to give your opinion and then nothing changes at all, so I don’t want to waste my time. They already know my opinion, what’s it been like for me.

“So let’s see if they’re gonna change it or not, but I just really want to be focused on other things.”

When asked if the rule is more about discretion, he replied: “Yeah, I think so. We could see that there are different umpires. So it’s just about with one or two probably, the same guys that just have been a problem with a lot of matches.

“But there are other umpires that they are flexible about it. I would say if they understand about tennis, they know how to do it. The guys who are really strict and not having that left hand (phonetic), let’s say, is because they don’t understand tennis at all.”

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Carlos Alcaraz continued his unbeaten start to the 2026 season and even though he is still a long way away from the record, Novak Djokovic has backed the Spaniard to “continue doing some historic things”.

World No 1 Alcaraz has now won 13 matches in a row this season as he won his opening match at the Indian Wells Open with that victory coming on the back of seven wins in a row during his title run at the Australian Open and five wins to secure the Qatar Open.

Ahead of the match against Grigor Dimitrov at the California ATP 1000 event, the seven-time Grand Slam winner was asked about all-time record of 41, which Djokovic set back in 2011, and he conceded he still has a mountain to climb.

“Obviously I know that 41, Novak holds the record. I’m gonna say you don’t realise how difficult it is until you, I’m gonna say, you’re chasing that, because, you know, all right, 41, it’s not that much, but then you’re like 12 on, it’s like, s***, it’s like four or five more tournaments, the biggest tournaments in the world (smiling),” the Spaniard said.

“You realise and you feel like how impressive it is.”

If Alcaraz ends up winning the Indian Wells Open, he will be on 18 wins, which will leave him another 23 matches away from the Djokovic record, which is roughly another four tournaments.

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Djokovic, who won seven tournaments in a row in 2011, believes his 23-year-old rival is riding a wave that could see him break that record.

“He can do it. He has everything that you need to have in terms of the game, in terms of the adaptability to different surfaces, and level of fitness and recovery that he has shown and matured over the years,” the 24-time Grand Slam winner said.

“He needs to keep his body healthy. If he keeps his body healthy, I mean, he’s so good that he can win any tournament he plays on.

“So you never know. He’s been doing some historic things in our sport for such a young age. But yeah, I mean, winning 40-plus matches, and I have had a couple other runs, as well, at the beginning of different seasons where I had 25-plus, I think, twice, it’s demanding.

“But, you know, at the same time, it feels when you are winning so much and you’re riding that wave, you know, you don’t want to let go of that wave. You want to surf on that wave as long as you can, because the level of confidence is really high, and obviously when you lose first time, that is a bit shaken up.

“But as long as you’re winning, you feel like each match you feel stronger, in a sense, if I can reflect or recall my feelings that I had during that time.

“I wish him many more victories. I think he’s great for our sport, and what he’s been doing is remarkable.”

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Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff have both given their verdicts on Emma Raducanu’s claim she will be happy to go through periods without a coach.

The subject of Raducanu’s coach has been a well discussed one with the 23-year-old having already had seven permanent coaches during her professional career.

The most recent of those partnerships, with Francisco Roig, ended in January and Raducanu suggested she was being told too much on how she should play.

“Right now, it’s more about bringing my instincts back out, getting back in touch with myself,” Raducanu told the BBC.

“I have had a lot of people telling me what to do, how to play, and it hasn’t necessarily fit.

“So I want to come back to my natural way of playing. That takes time to relearn because that’s something that has been coached out of me a little bit.

“I don’t necessarily want to have one coach in the role because anyone I bring in is straight away going to be scrutinised – even if it’s a trial.

“I might feel the pressure to stick with them, even if it’s not necessarily the right decision.

“I would love to have a coach that works well, but I don’t think it’s necessarily going to be easy to find one person and they are going to check every box.

“I definitely have my mind open to it. It’s just that I would rather someone not come in and tell me ‘let’s do this’, and I disagree with it but have to listen to them.

“So far Alexis [Canter] has been really good, but I am definitely going to tap into a few people here and there.”

That prospect of going without coaches for periods was put to both Gauff and Sabalenka and each of them suggested they would always like someone in the box.

Gauff said: “I don’t think it would go well. There are tournaments where I maybe don’t listen to my coach that much at all, so maybe it is self-coach.

“No, I think, I mean, for me personally, I feel like it’s always good to have some direction. I feel like the team I have now, they don’t overcoach. They let me, you know, think it through. Like today I didn’t look at my box for advice once. That’s how I usually prefer it.

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“But, you know, I don’t know, I think it’s nice to have a coach with you, but every player is different. I know some players can play well without one, and some prefer just maybe someone like a hitting partner/coach. But I feel like with all the changes I’m making in my game, I think I would get pretty lost without one.

After joking she would “fire all of them”, World No.1 Sabalenka then said it would be tough for her to go without her coach there.

“No, I think for me personally it would be tough. I think even though I’m mentally tough and strong, for me it’s important to feel the support and to see my team in the box and just have my people around.

“So for me, I mean, right now I don’t see myself being without the coach. And even though I’m, like, smart and I know tennis, I kind of like know everything, but at the same time, I don’t like to go in the practice and do the whole practice myself. It just takes too much of energy.

“I just need the coach to schedule the practice, to make me do stuff and just so the only thing I’m worried about is my tennis, not like which exercise should I do today? What should I work on today?

“For me, it would be difficult. But I feel like she has been struggling a lot with finding the right coach, the right fit for her. I think maybe for her it’s good to take this little break, not rushing, like, bringing just anyone in her team. That just makes more problem, I feel like, and insecurity, you don’t have your person around.

“I feel like maybe for her it’s a good decision, but I feel like she’s going to obviously end up having a coach. I think she just needs to choose carefully the person that she’s gonna bring on her team.”

Read next: Alex Eala ‘excited’ for Coco Gauff rematch after prevailing in Indian Wells thriller

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Jack Draper’s ATP rank could drop by more than 100% should he fail to win his opening match at Indian Wells on Saturday.

The British No.1 won this tournament last year but would go on to suffer an arm injury and opted to skip the Australian Open this year, meaning he is already at a rankings disadvantage going into the Californian tournament.

His action so far this year came in a Davis Cup qualifier in which he beat World No.313 Viktor Durasovic but he suffered a disappointing tournament in Dubai, losing in the round of 16 of the ATP 500 event.

This means he heads to Indian Wells as the 14th best male player in the world but should he lose his opening match against World No.93 Roberto Bautista Agut, he will lose 990 ranking points and drop down to No.29, also surrendering the British No.1 spot to Cam Norrie.

It is an opponent Draper has never faced before but the Briton goes in as the overwhelming favourite having defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the final at this venue last year.

Perhaps a more intriguing battle will be Draper against his fitness with him suffering a 164-day gap between matches but he suggested he would not risk playing if he did not believe he was fit enough to last the tournament.

“This injury has definitely hardened me a fair bit,” he told Sky Sports.

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“I’ve had certain injuries in the past but when you do so well and when you get to the goal that you finally want to get to.

“Being in a good position, competing for great tournaments and then something like this happens.

“You definitely start to question yourself and it makes you quite sad in a way.

“I always think there’s only one response to any sort of hardship or adversity and that’s to improve and be better for it.

“So, I’m proud that I’m coming here in a good place. Mentally, I feel good. Physically, I’m in good shape.

“I wouldn’t be back if I wasn’t, I’m just so happy to be here and hopefully I can have a great week [at the Indian Wells].”

Read next: Aryna Sabalenka ‘had a feeling’ about proposal after announcing engagement to Georgios Frangulis

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Aryna Sabalenka has opened up about the “beautiful moment” that long-time partner Georgios Frangulis proposed to her in Indian Wells.

World No 1 Sabalenka is in action for the first time in over a month in Indian Wells, with the Belarusian looking for a maiden triumph at the WTA 1000 event, following runner-up finishes in 2023 and 2025.

The 27-year-old started her campaign in Tennis Paradise with a comfortable 6-4, 6-2 victory over Himeno Sakatsume on Friday, though her time in Indian Wells this year will be memorable regardless of what happens on the court.

Sabalenka revealed earlier in the week that she had said ‘yes’ to boyfriend Frangulis when he proposed to her on Tuesday, with the likes of Novak Djokovic, Coco Gauff, Carlos Alcaraz, and Paula Badosa congratulating the couple.

The four-time Grand Slam singles champion has been dating Frangulis, the founder of Oakberry, since 2024, and the Brazilian has become a regular fixture in Sabalenka’s entourage in recent times.

Sabalenka shared video footage of her accepting Frangulis’ proposal on social media this week and, speaking after her win against Sakatsume on Friday, opened up about how her fiancé and her team had kept her in the dark about the proposal.

“Well, as everyone probably saw, I wasn’t prepared at all,” said Sabalenka. “It was a surprise, and I think it happened — not I think, I know it happened the third [of March].

“The whole team knew. My agent told me that I have a very important meeting for 15 minutes. Just put on something nice. She wasn’t pushing enough for me to put the makeup on, and I was super tired in the evening. I was, like: ‘Okay, I’m not going to do that. I’ll just wear jeans.’

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Then, yeah, we got there and I saw Georgios and I was crying half of the time, because I thought that I looked ugly, not prepared, and this is such a beautiful moment.”

Sabalenka would then reveal she had a “feeling” that the proposal was coming, though she did admit it also still came as a surprise.

She added: “I stopped everything, and I asked the videographer and the photographer to make sure that my face is not there, just the ring, and, I don’t know, side views and from the back, just so you guys wouldn’t be shocked by the way I looked.

“It was a beautiful moment. I was surprised even though I kind of like knew, had a feeling that it’s going to happen here. But he still managed to do a surprise.”

There is no news yet as to when Sabalenka and Frangulis will officially tie the knot, though the Belarusian will likely want to delay wedding planning until after her campaign in Indian Wells has come to its conclusion.

The world No 1 will return to action on Sunday to take on Jaqueline Cristian in the third round, and could then face fellow four-time Grand Slam singles champion Naomi Osaka in round four.

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The post Aryna Sabalenka ‘had a feeling’ about proposal after announcing engagement to Georgios Frangulis appeared first on Tennis365.