Four #NextGenATP Americans Awarded Indian Wells Wild Cards

The #NextGenATP American contingent will be well-represented in Indian Wells, with Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz, Stefan Kozlov and Reilly Opelka among those given main draw wild cards into the BNP Paribas Open. Pittsburgh native Bjorn Fratangelo was also awarded entry into the 96-player field.

Tiafoe, the youngest player in the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, is making his second straight appearance at the prestigious ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event. Last year, he defeated Fritz in an intriguing all-teenage first-round encounter. Fritz is also making his second successive visit to the California desert, having competed in the main draw at five Masters 1000 tournaments in 2016.

Opelka and Kozlov are making their Indian Wells debuts next week, with Kozlov also appearing in his first Masters 1000 main draw. Opelka saved two match points in defeating Jeremy Chardy in his debut at the elite level last year in Cincinnati.

Fratangelo, meanwhile, was the only player to take a set off champion Novak Djokovic in last year’s tournament, eventually falling in three sets in the second round. The 23 year old is just outside the Top 100 at No. 109 in the Emirates ATP Rankings.

The world’s best will descend on Indian Wells for the BNP Paribas Open, with qualifying set to get underway on Tuesday and main draw action commencing on Thursday.