Five contenders for the $1M bonus in Indian Wells
Here's a look at possible contenders for the singles-doubles vict
The last male player to complete the singles-doubles sweep in Indian Wells was Jim Courier back in 1991. The feat has been accomplished more recently among the women, with Vera Zvonareva pulling it off in 2009.
This year, there’s a lot of reasons for someone to go for both titles—a million of them, in fact.
There’s a seven-figure bonus on the table for the player who accomplishes the task. Here’s a look at five players who could have a shot at bragging rights in both disciplines:
1
Elena Vesnina
Last year’s surprise champion in singles, Vesnina has had plenty of success in doubles in the desert, winning the title three times, most recently in 2013 with longtime partner Ekaterina Makarova.
2
Kristina Mladenovic
The Frenchwoman posted her best Indian Wells finish last year when she reached the semifinals. She appears to have regained her confidence on the singles court, perhaps spurred on by her title-winning run at the Australian Open in doubles this year with her Indian Wells partner Timea Babos.
3
CoCo Vandeweghe
While she has yet to advance past the third round of the singles tournament in the desert, the hard-hitting American is at her best on hard courts. That expertise paid off when she won the 2016 doubles title with Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
She’ll be partnering another dual threat, Ashleigh Barty, in Indian Wells.
4
Jack Sock
Though the year hasn’t gone to his liking yet in singles, Sock knows how to play at this ATP Masters 1000 event. He reached the semifinals last year, and won the doubles back in 2015 with Vasek Pospisil.
This year, he’s playing with compatriot John Isner, with whom he won Shanghai in 2016.
5
Alexander Zverev
Like Sock, the 20-year-old German has gotten off to a slow start in 2018, but could rebound for a big run here in both draws as he and his older brother Mischa are teaming up in doubles. They have a difficult opener in Indian Wells against Bob and Mike Bryan in an all-brother battle. In what may be a bit of a surprise, though, Alexander is the last ATP player to complete a sweep at a tournament—Montpellier 2017—and can be primed to roll here.
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