Bianca Andreescu has spent the opening months of 2026 reshaping her game and her schedule in search of the player who burst onto the scene in 2019. Her doubles ranking of 160 currently sits five places above her singles ranking, a jarring statistic for a former US Open, Canadian Open and Indian Wells champion who has not captured a WTA title since that breakout season. She also lost eight of her last 11 matches in 2025.

“I’m trying to, I guess, reclaim that dangerous, fearless Bianca that can really stand a chance against anyone, and I think I’m getting there,” Andreescu said. “I just feel that, before, I was focusing too much on, you know, trying to go back to 2019, so living in the past.

“And now…it’s like recreating the new Bianca, what is it? 7.0.”

Ranked 227 at the start of the year, Andreescu entered a W35 in Bradenton, Fla., as the No. 1 seed, won five matches to collect $4,860 and 35 WTA points, then reached a semifinal at a second W35 before winning a W75 in Vero Beach to close a 13-1 January. “Going back to those levels, was a decision obviously that wasn’t easy, right? In a way, I guess I’m going the Agassi route,” she said to Brad Gilbert. “I think what’s amazing is I finally got some match rhythm, which I haven’t had over the last few years. I got as many matches as I did in those three weeks, like all of last year.”

After a main-draw match in Austin, Andreescu accepted a wild card into the BNP Paribas Open. If she advances, she could meet Coco Gauff. “It’ll be interesting to see how my level right now, with what I’m implementing and what I’m working on, can show face against someone like that,” she said. “I’m very excited.”

On the men’s side, Sebastian Korda has also altered course. The 25-year-old carries three career titles and a 2023 Australian Open quarterfinal on his résumé, but struggles with injury and inconsistency followed. “I would say since coming back on tour after my leg injury, it was definitely…the darkest time in my tennis career,” he said. “I was just getting a lot of anxiety when I was coming back from court, so disconnected from playing matches.”

Korda dropped down to play a Challenger, reached the San Diego final, beat Michael Zheng and Frances Tiafoe in Dallas and then won Delray Beach, defeating Alex Michelsen, Casper Ruud, Flavio Cobolli and Tommy Paul. Unseeded at Indian Wells, he opens against Francisco Comesana and has new coach Ryan Harrison at his side. “I’m feeling the best physically that I’ve felt the last couple of years,” he said. “Hopefully it stays that way.”

For much of the past three seasons Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have been the default top two when both enter the same event. They arrive at the BNP Paribas Open as the top seeds again, but the dynamic feels altered. Alcaraz, a two-time champion at Indian Wells, arrives as the favorite after winning the US Open and the Australian Open and an unblemished 12-0 start to 2026. Sinner remains the challenger; he has never reached the semi at this event and is the underdog in this pairing.

Everything has been coming up Carlitos. He’s 12-0 in 2026, and 27-1 at the last four majors. In his quarter the most obvious threats are Alex De Minaur, Alexander Bublik, Casper Ruud and Botic van de Zandschulp. De Minaur sits as the No. 2 seed in that section but is 0-6 against Alcaraz. Bublik and others have upset players here before, though none has reached a quarter to set up a meeting with Alcaraz. Wild Card: Michael Zheng. The New Jersey native and Columbia University senior takes on Arthur Cazeaux of France. First-round match to watch: Grigor Dimitrov vs. Terence Atmane. Quarterfinal: Alcaraz vs. De Minaur. Semifinalist: Alcaraz.

Novak Djokovic is in the field after a delayed announcement and will complicate the draw while he remains in the tournament. A four-time Indian Wells champion, he has not passed the fourth round in his last five attempts, dating back to 2017. Daniil Medvedev is coming off a Dubai title but faces travel uncertainty: he is stuck in Dubai due to the war in Iran. If he arrives, he should be a contender. Returning champion Jack Draper is also in the mix as he works back from an upper arm injury. Quarterfinal: Medvedev vs. Cerundolo. Semifinalist: Medvedev.

The Zverev-Musetti quarter looks open, with Félix Auger-Aliassime and Frances Tiafoe among the contenders. First-round matches to watch include Alexei Popyrin vs. Jenson Brooksby and Matteo Berrettini vs. Adrian Mannarino. In Sinner’s section he will be favored over most opponents, but Ben Shelton looms as a potential quarterfinal test. First-round match with 2019 vibes: Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Denis Shapovalov. Quarterfinal: Sinner vs. Shelton. Semifinalist: Sinner.

Player Who Could Use a Win: Joao Fonseca. He’s 1-3 in 2026.

A group of players, coaches and tournament personnel remain unable to leave the United Arab Emirates after the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships as regional airspace closures followed an outbreak of conflict involving the U.S., Israel and Iran.

According to MARCA, 41 people involved with the tournament are still unable to depart. Among those reported stuck in Dubai are champion Daniil Medvedev and runner-up Tallon Griekspoor, who did not play their final because of the Dutch player’s injury but both took part in the trophy ceremony. Also among those affected were doubles champions Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten, runners-up Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic, and semifinalist Andrey Rublev. Tournament officials, tennis journalists and the tournament stenographer were also reported to be unable to leave.

“No one knows when we will be able to take off,” Medvedev told Bolshe! on Sunday. “That is, it’s not clear whether (airspace closures) will last long or not. Therefore we are just waiting to see, let’s say, what will happen in the next hours and days.”

The ATP issued a statement on Monday addressing the situation: “The health, safety and wellbeing of our players, staff and tournament personnel is our priority. We can confirm that a small number of players and team members remain in Dubai following the conclusion of the recent ATP 500 event. They and their teams are being accommodated in the tournament’s official hotels, where their immediate needs are being fully supported.

The tour remains ‘in direct communication’ with those affected, as well as with tournament organizers, security advisors and local officials.

“At this stage, travel arrangements remain subject to ongoing assessment in line with airline operations and official guidance. We will continue to provide appropriate support to ensure players and their teams can safely depart when conditions allow.

“We will continue to assess developments and provide updates as appropriate.”

Separately, Holger Rune and his mother, Aneke Rune, were reported stuck in Doha, where the Dane has been recovering from an Achilles tendon injury at Aspetar Sports Medicine Hospital. “It’s been a wild night. We didn’t get much sleep,” Aneke told TV2 Sport. “It all seems more brutal at night with the fireballs in the sky and repeated bangs…” She added in an interview with BT: “We want to leave. But we have not yet received any news from Denmark. It’s a disappointing situation.”

The travel disruption has left some players at risk of missing the BNP Paribas Open, which starts on March 4. Medvedev and Rublev were withdrawn from the Eisenhower Cup, with replacement pairings announced for that mixed doubles exhibition.

Several evacuation options were discussed, including drives to Muscat or Riyadh, but players remained at their hotels following an emergency meeting. Heliovaara wrote: “The instructions from the ATP side have been very clear so far, the safest thing to do is to stay at the hotel and wait.” He added detailed concerns about border traffic and travel permits: “According to the information we received, there are bad traffic jams at the border (to Oman), and in addition to that, arranging suitable transport is difficult, because a car with UAE plates is not allowed to drive into Oman without a permit, and you cannot cross the border on foot…

“The journey to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia is over 10 hours and the road after the border is quite bad. So it’s not an ideal route without proper preparations.”

As of Monday, Dubai International Airport had resumed limited operations with a small number of flights departing. The airport, located adjacent to the tournament venue and near the Creekside Hotel in Jumeirah, suffered damage overnight but was reported to be back up and running.