Our female Benoit Paire!

Elsa Jacquemot has theoretically greater firepower from the baseline, but she’s going through some serious turbulence. Her recent split from the All In Academy and her lack of tactical reference points without a permanent coach weigh heavily. While she shone at the Australian Open by winning a marathon match against Kostyuk (injured), she’s coming into California on a run of four consecutive losses. Her behavior is really troubling and takes so much focus away from her. A kind of bad faith worthy of Benoît, always wanting to blame everything around her except her tennis. She gets frustrated quickly and now finds herself without a coach!

Anna Bondár won their only official meeting in 2021 on clay. She’s a player who gives nothing away and knows how to exploit the unforced errors of impatient opponents. On the slow surface of Indian Wells, her ability to make Elsa play one more shot could be the key to the match. She comes in with more certainty and a calmer preparation. That said, her start to the season hasn’t been perfect and she still needs to prove herself on hard courts.