Lululemon’s first year as the official outfitter at the BNP Paribas Open has been visible on court and throughout the grounds. The Canadian-based brand, which signed Leylah Fernandez and Frances Tiafoe to multi-year apparel deals in the last four years, took on a broad role at the combined ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 event after being announced in a multi-year agreement last November.

The company supplied more than 2,000 volunteers, ball kids and officials with uniforms, enlarged its merchandise section in the official tournament store and opened a standalone retail presence and pop-up experience anchored by the viral La La Land Kind Cafe. Lululemon branding has become a constant around the site in Indian Wells.

On court the outfitter also introduced new wearable technology. After wearing a Sierra Leone-inspired kit at the Australian Open in tribute to his parents’ birth country, Frances Tiafoe is wearing a berry-hued ensemble the brand calls “Burgundy Bay.” Lululemon says those clothes use a new ShowZero sweat-resistant technology and describes it as “an innovative yarn technology that changes how light interacts with the fabric, preventing light absorption when wet so sweat remains virtually invisible.” The company promotes the fabric as breathable, quick-drying and ultra-lightweight, engineered to support high-intensity performance.

Tiafoe spoke about his relationship with the brand after his victory over No. 15 seed Flavio Cobolli, a win that avenged Cobolli’s recent Acapulco final result. “It’s been great to be a part of it … all the things they have been doing with me,” he said. “They were super excited to have me and also grow with me and get more into the game.” He added that the outfitter’s presentation in Tennis Paradise is appealing: the “whole vibe” is “super cool and super trendy.”

On the retail side, Tiafoe noted the fan response: “Obviously you see it here, all the staff and everyone wearing it. My outfit is selling out, they said. The getup is great. All the outfits they have been making are super innovative. It’s just been really cool,” he said.

Iga Swiatek begins her 250th career week inside the WTA Top 10, a milestone that underlines the rapid ascent she has made since breaking through as a teenager. She is 24 years old and has already collected a Grand Slam title, having won Roland Garros in 2020.

Swiatek first entered the Top 10 as a 19-year-old on May 17th, 2021, moving from No. 15 to No. 9 after winning her first WTA 1000 title in Rome. Except for a brief two-week slip to No. 11 in October of that year, she has remained in the Top 10 continuously since that breakthrough.

Of the 250 weeks she has spent in the Top 10, 195 have been inside the Top 2. She logged 125 weeks at No. 1 between 2022 and 2024, and this week will be her 70th career week at the No. 2 position.

Swiatek arrives at Indian Wells in the middle of this run and will meet Maria Sakkari in the third round today. The match carries extra narrative weight: a few weeks ago in Doha, Swiatek fell to Sakkari in a close quarterfinal, 2-6, 6-4, 7-5, so the Indian Wells meeting functions as a form of immediate revenge.

Given the current points situation, there is no chance of her falling out of the Top 10 or even the Top 5 regardless of how the rest of the tournament unfolds this week. The combination of sustained high finishes and extended stays at the very top of the rankings has made Swiatek one of the most consistently placed players in the WTA era.

© 2026 Robert Prange

Alexandra Eala extended a flawless debut at the BNP Paribas Open, advancing to the fourth round when Coco Gauff retired with a left arm injury.

Eala was closing out the opening set when Gauff took a medical timeout late in the set for the injury. After Eala opened a lead in the second set, Gauff elected not to continue, trailing 6-2, 2-0.

The result reversed the pair’s meeting at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, where Eala lost 6-0, 6-2 in a quarterfinal. It also represents Eala’s first Top 5 win since the 2025 Miami Open, where she defeated world No. 2 Iga Swiatek.

“I was definitely a little nervous. It was a big stadium, and, of course, a big opponent,” Eala said after the match. “And, yeah, I was really motivated, super excited to play the match. Those back and forths were really intense for me, and I’m happy that I was able to get some of them.”

“I think (I made) less errors,” she explained. “I missed a lot more than I would have liked in Dubai. That’s also partly because she played so well and forced me to miss, so I think that’s one of the things I did a little better today.”

The crowd on Stadium 1 included large groups waving Philippines flags, a presence that has followed Eala since her breakthrough. Eala said those fans provide motivation and that part of her reaction to the rapid rise is simply appreciation for spectators.

“I think it’s it’s such a pleasure to be able to play on courts where people are waiting for you, where there’s an amazing, electric atmosphere… I never used to have that, you know, because I was in the ITF circuit,” she recalled. “So to be able to play on amazing courts, amazing people and with these crowds, is such a great experience.”

Eala is approaching one year since her run at the Miami Open as a wild card ranked No. 140, when she defeated No. 25 seed Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys and No. 2 Swiatek to reach her first WTA 1000 semifinal. She carried that form into Dubai last month, beating No. 6 Jasmine Paolini before falling to Gauff in the quarterfinals. Now ranked No. 32, Eala is still adapting to life on the WTA Tour.

“I think the lifestyle I have right now is really crazy and fun. We’re living out of a suitcase, and they (my parents) are super supportive,” Eala said. “I’m really, I’m really grateful. I know not a lot of people have parents that are able to support full on…

“I’ve been to the most amazing courts and been able to play in the most amazing atmospheres, like Miami. I’ve been able to play on Wimbledon’s Centre Court, which is my dream, and that’s been amazing.”