Mirra Andreeva will be at risk of dropping out of the top 10 of the WTA Rankings after the Indian Wells Open while the likes of Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek also have a fair chunk of points to defend in California.

Teenager Andreeva is the defending champion at the WTA 1000 event as she beat Sabalenka in the final 12 months ago so she will drop 1,000 points at the start of the tournament as the WTA uses a rolling 52-week, cumulative system to determine the rankings.

It means players have to defend points from their 18 best tournaments and in most cases players defend points from the same event a year go, but if they didn’t compete at the previous edition, they then defend the points they earned from a tournament that took place at the same time – even at the WTA Challenger Tour or ITF level.

In certain cases, players don’t defend points from the corresponding period 12 months ago, but their 18th-best result is used for the rankings.

Of course, players will then earn points again with the total determined by the level of the tournament and a player’s round-by-round progression.

Points Selected Players Are Defending In Indian Wells
Aryna Sabalenka – 650

The runner-up at WTA 1000 events earn 650 points and Sabalenka lost the 2025 Indian Wells Open final against Andreeva so she will drop that tally.

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The four-time Grand Slam winner, though, will remain at No 1 in the WTA Rankings after the tournament as she has a 3,000-plus point lead over the chasing pack.

Iga Swiatek – 390

The six-time Grand Slam winner was upset by Andreeva in the last four so she will drop 390 points and it does mean she will once again be in danger of losing the No 2 spot to Rybakina, as they will be separated by 65 points once their 2025 points are removed.

Elena Rybakina – 120

Reigning Australian Open champion Rybakina lost in the fourth round 12 months ago so she will drop 120 points, but if she reaches the latter stages of the tournament and Swiatek loses early, then she could move up to No 2.

Coco Gauff -120

The American also made a fourth-round exit in 2025 and she can also move up to No 2 if she wins the tournament and both Swiatek and Rybakina lose early.

Jessica Pegula – 120

Pegula will head into Indian Wells on the back of winning the WTA 1000 Dubai Tennis Championships and she could replace Gauff as the American No 1 if results go her way.

Amanda Anisimova – 10

Anisimova – who was beaten by Belinda Bencic in the second round last year – could make it a three-way battle for the American No 1 ranking, but she will need to win the title to usurp Gauff.

Mirra Andreeva – 1,000

The 18-year-old is currently No 8 in the rankings with 4,001 points, but once her 1,000 points come off she will slip to No 10. An early exit could see her slip further down the list.

Victoria Mboko – 75

The exciting youngster was competing at the WTT W75 on the ITF Circuit a year ago and she won the tournament, so will drop the 75 points from that title run.

Mboko is currently 10th in the rankings and a run to the latter stages could see her move up a couple of places.

Belinda Bencic – 215

Bencic not only beat Anisimova last year, but she also stunned Gauff in the fourth round before losing against Madison Keys in the quarter-final.

Madison Keys – 390

Shortly after winning her maiden Grand Slam at the 2025 Australian Open, Keys followed it up with a run to the semi-final in Indian Wells.

However, she has struggled in recent months and sits at No 15 in the official rankings so an early exit could see her drop out of the top 20.

Iva Jovic – 10

The rising American star is up to No 18 in the rankings and she earned a wildcard entry in 2025, winning her opener before losing in the second round.

Emma Raducanu – 30

Even though Raducanu lost in the first round last year, which is usually worth only 10 points, she will drop 30 points from her 18th-best event, which was Eastbourne, where she reached the last 16.

Alex Eala – 27

Eala, who was also playing at ITF level 12 months ago, is another player who will drop points from her 18th-best event from the past 12 months.