Six former BNP Paribas Open champions started in the 2026 field. Less than 90 minutes after the start of play on Day 1, that number was already down to five. Yulia Putintseva notched a 6-4, 6-2 win over 2021 winner Paula Badosa in 1 hour and 23 minutes to set up a second-round meeting with No. 17 seed Clara Tauson.

Indian Wells: Scores | Draws | Order of play

Putintseva’s previous head-to-head against Badosa had not favored the Kazakhstani. Four completed matches had all gone the Spaniard’s way, three of those in straight sets. Putintseva’s only win in the series had come via retirement at Toronto 2022.

The 31-year-old has been resurgent in 2026 though, completing her set of second-week showings at every major with a fourth-round run at the Australian Open. By contrast, Badosa’s season record now stands at just three wins to six losses, and her ranking has fallen to No. 106 this week. An adductor injury forced her to pull out of Merida last week.

In the first set, both players took turns to squander opportunities to take a significant lead. Putintseva missed two points to hold for 3-1, then Badosa mirrored her by letting two points to hold for 4-2 slip. It was Putintseva who cleaned up her game first, taking a firm hold of the match at 3-3 by winning six of the next seven games. The World No. 76 delivered her finest shots at the start of the second set, out-foxing Badosa with a pair of exquisite drop shots.

Despite flashes of her signature grit as Badosa briefly rallied in the second set, the 28-year-old was unable to overcome a tally of 47 unforced errors, including 10 double faults — three of which came in the penultimate game. Neither wing proved reliable for Badosa during the contest, and she concluded it with a forehand mishit into the ground in front of her followed by another over the baseline.

“Definitely a tough first round for me,” Putintseva said in her on-court interview. “Paula, she’s a great player, always fighting. You can see every game she was there, trying to come back. I’m happy and pleased with my game today.”

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