The Eisenhower Cup, a Tie Break Tens event that has become a mixed doubles showcase at the BNP Paribas Open, returns a week from Tuesday inside Stadium 2 with an eight-team field mixing familiar duos and new pairings.

Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz are back to defend the title they won last year, when the pair shared $200,000. Fritz arrives as a proven mixed-doubles performer; he was one half of a winning pairing with Aryna Sabalenka in 2023.

Emma Navarro and Ben Shelton will team up for the third consecutive year. The American duo captured the event in their debut two years ago. Also reuniting, and appearing together in the California desert for the first time, are Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud. Team Ruudtek reached the final in their debut at the 2025 US Open, winning three matches on the way to a runner-up finish in New York.

Several partnerships from the 2024 edition have been refreshed. Jessica Pegula and Tommy Paul return as a team, as do Leylah Fernandez and Felix Auger-Aliassime. Tommy Paul narrowly missed winning the event 12 months ago when he partnered Madison Keys.

Amanda Anisimova, a two-time Grand Slam finalist, has a new partner after playing with Daniil Medvedev the previous year. She will pair with Andrey Rublev, who previously participated in 2024 alongside Maria Sakkari. Medvedev is also back in the field with a new teammate: defending BNP Paribas Open women’s champion Mirra Andreeva, a pairing that follows their appearance together at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

One experienced doubles competitor, Jasmine Paolini, will form an all-Italian tandem with Matteo Berrettini. Paolini played with Lorenzo Musetti in last year’s event.

The Eisenhower Cup remains a compact, spectator-friendly addition to the Indian Wells schedule, offering quick, high-energy mixed doubles matches and a lineup that blends repeat contenders with newly formed teams.

Daniil Medvedev used a press conference after a first-round win at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships to explain how the demands of the tour can wear down elite players. He beat Shang Juncheng in straight sets and spent much of his time behind the microphone describing the cumulative strain of travel and changing routines.

He referenced a quip at the Australian Open about not being ready to start a podcast, but turned his remarks in Dubai into a wider point about what viewers do not see. “Of course, what people first see is we’re playing in front of thousands of people, we’re getting good money, especially those of course in the Top 50 and Top 100. And the first thought is like, ‘Okay, why are they complaining at all? Like, they should not,’” Medvedev said after a straight-sets victory over Shang Juncheng.

He went on to describe the less visible burdens. “Then, of course, what people don’t see…if we speak about tennis, it’s the toll the travel plus competition brings on you,” he continued. “Even meaning, coming from Doha to Dubai, it’s very short. The balls are different, the courts are different. Let’s say stupid things. The hotel is different, the bed is different, the pillow is different. That all is a little bit tough for your body. You don’t feel it, like, constantly. But imagine doing this 40 times a year, and we do.

“The time change and of course the food change. The food in every country’s different, in every site. All of this would be easy to handle if you wouldn’t have a match to play the next day against an opponent that wants to win as much as you. And if you don’t win, you lose and you feel I am bad.”

At 30, the former world No. 1 and 2021 US Open champion has navigated peaks and setbacks, including injury and inconsistency. He spent much of 2025 addressing those struggles before a late surge that carried into 2026. Now ranked just outside the Top 10, he opened this season with a title run at the Brisbane International but has since noted the challenge of stringing wins together.

“Last year I played in seven tournaments in a row. Did I have to? No. I played bad in the beginning of the year, maybe I can get 100 points here, 200 points here, be higher seeded next year, et cetera, et cetera. If there would be no points there, at least it is an easier decision. But it’s not going to happen. Daniil Medvedev”

Tournament officials confirmed the Abierto Mexicano Telcel will continue as planned despite a wave of violence affecting several Mexican states.

“The Abierto Mexicano Telcel reports that the rumors circling in the press and on social media about the tournament’s supposed cancelation due to the security issues in Jalisco are false,” organizers said in a statement shared to the tournament’s official social media pages.

“The tournament has not issued any cancellation notice. The event will go on as scheduled and tournament operations will proceed as normal.

“We remain in coordination and in constant communication with federal, state and municipal authorities, following the established security protocols.”

According to the Associated Press, the unrest followed the Mexican army’s killing of Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. The cartel reportedly has an estimated 19,000 members operating in 21 of Mexico’s 32 states and was designated a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. in 2025. Violence included burned vehicles and blocked roads at more than 250 points across 20 states, and videos on social media showed Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta under lockdown.

The State Department advised U.S. citizens and tourists to shelter in place and issued a security alert for Jalisco, Tamaulipas, Michoacan, Nuevo Leon and Guerrero. Security concerns also led to the cancellation of four soccer matches on Sunday, including two in Liga MX and Liga MX Femenil, and several Mexican and international airlines canceled flights.

In Acapulco, roughly 500 miles or about 10 hours by car from Guadalajara, tennis fans reported an increased security presence at the GNP Seguros Arena. Businesses near the venue closed early on Sunday, the final day of qualifying. Main draw play began on Monday, with matches scheduled to start at 4:00 p.m. local time. The tournament hosted Kid’s Day, and player activities such as Media Day and the traditional White Party proceeded without incident.

Top seeds in the draw include world No. 4 Alexander Zverev, two-time champion Alex de Minaur and Casper Ruud. American players Frances Tiafoe, Brandon Nakashima and Patrick Kypson also feature. The Acapulco event was voted Best ATP 500 Event in 2007, 2017 and 2019.