The Indian Wells Open is one of the best tennis tournaments of the year. All the best players in the world are headed to California to try to win one of the sport’s most coveted non-major trophies.
These are my Indian Wells Open best bets to target on DraftKings Sportsbook in the futures market.
2026 Indian Wells Open Odds: Men’s Singles
Indian Wells is always one of the most exciting tournaments of the year. This year, Carlos Alcaraz enters with all the momentum. He started the year by completing the career Grand Slam at the Australian Open. Alcaraz followed that up by winning the Qatar Open as well. He is yet to lose a match this calendar year and as always, will be a tough out. Meanwhile, Jannik Sinner is Alcaraz’s co-favorite to win the tournament. Sinner has not been as sharp, losing to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open semifinals and to Jakub Mensik in the Qatar Open quarterfinals. Sinner is always a threat to turn it on and dominate the competition. However, he is nowhere near his top form coming into Indian Wells.
The usual challengers of Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, and Alexander Zverev will be looking to make an impact in California. However, there is also a lot of interest around the top two Americans in the field, Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz. Fritz famously took his career to the next level by winning the title at Indian Wells in 2022. This has always been a tournament used as a launching point for young stars. In 2019, Dominic Thiem won the title just a year before winning his first major. Cameron Norrie won his only career ATP 1000 title here in 2021. Then, last year, Jack Draper won his first career ATP 1000 title here at 23 years old. This year, Ben Shelton has the chance for the biggest win of his young career, also at the age of 23.
Ben Shelton has already won the 2025 Canadian Open, proving he can get it done in an ATP 1000 field. He is a great hardcourt player and has a real chance at Indian Wells. He has improved his performance here over the last couple of years, getting knocked out by Jannik Sinner in the Round of 16 in 2024, then losing to the eventual champion, Jack Draper, in the quarterfinals last year. Shelton has a favorable draw to the quarterfinals this year, where he would likely face Jannik Sinner. That is a scary prospect, but Sinner is nowhere near his best at the moment. If Jakub Mensik could take him down in Qatar, Shelton could do it here. There is also a chance Sinner gets upset before he even gets to that quarterfinal.
At these long odds, it’s worth a shot on Shelton to be the next young player to break through at Indian Wells.
Best Bet: Ben Shelton (+2800)
2026 Indian Wells Open Odds: Women’s Singles
There are clear top two players on the women’s side of the tournament. Aryna Sabalenka has been the dominant force in women’s tennis over the last couple of years. However, Elena Rybakina is the in-form challenger. Rybakina knocked off Sabalenka to win the Australian Open earlier this year. The other primary challengers, Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff are not in great form coming into this tournament.
Swiatek was knocked out of the Australian Open quarterfinals by Rybakina and was upset as the top seed in the Qatar Open quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Coco Gauff was also ousted in the Australian Open quarterfinals, upset in the Qatar Open Round of 32 and upset in the semifinals in Dubai. Jessica Pegula is likely the third most in-form player after winning in Dubai. However, Rybakina has defeated Pegula in two straight meetings, and Sabalenka has won five of her past six matches against Pegula. She might make it as far as the semifinals, but I wouldn’t back Pegula to defeat either of those top two players.
If it comes down to Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina, Sabalenka certainly has the easier draw. Sabalenka does have Amanda Anisimova in her quarter, but Sabalenka has gotten that monkey off her back by defeating Anisimova in two straight meetings. Her other big threat on her side of the bracket is Coco Gauff, who is in terrible form. On Rybakina’s side of the bracket, she could potentially have to defeat Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals and Iga Swiatek in the semifinals, a really tough task. Rybakina has also lost a bit of steam since the Australian Open, getting upset early in both Qatar and Dubai.
Sabalenka has never won at Indian Wells. She has lost in the final in two of the past three years, however. She should be determined to finally add this title to her growing trophy cabinet. Sabalenka is the best woman in the sport and should assert herself as such at Indian Wells.
Best Bet: Aryna Sabalenka (+300)
Winner Specials
The following “Winner Specials” markets are available on DraftKings Sportsbook for both the men’s and women’s brackets ahead of the tournament!
Men’s Winner Specials
Personally, I prefer the Ben Shelton future bet to the “Any American Player to Win” market. However, if you are high on both Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton, it’s certainly worth a look. On the “Big Three vs the Field” market, I would back The Field. Sinner is not in his best form, and Djokovic is very fallible at this point in his career. This has also been a tournament where underdogs have thrived. Djokovic has not won here since 2016, and Sinner has never even made a final here. Unlike at the Grand Slams as of late, it’s worth a bet on The Field at +370.
The other bet worth making is “Yes” on the “First Time Winner?” market. While I don’t fancy Jannik Sinner to win, he is capable of flipping the switch and playing like the best player in the world at any moment. The fact that he is a first-time winner makes this a very compelling market. Outside Alcaraz and Djokovic, most of the other top contenders here would be first-time winners. Sinner, Medvedev, Zverev and Shelton, four of the top six men on the odds board, would all be first-time winners.
Women’s Winner Specials
On the women’s side, the market for an American to win is much more interesting. Jessica Pegula, Amanda Anisimova and Coco Gauff are three of the top six players on the odds board. While Sabalenka and Rybakina are the two best players in the field, the Americans still have so much talent towards the top of the board. Pegula in particular enters in good form and could pull off the win.
I would not bet against the “Big Three” of Sabalenka, Swiatek, and Rybakina in this tournament. Going back to the end of last season, Rybakina and Sabalenka have been the two best players in the world. Iga Swiatek has not been in sharp form, but this is a venue where she has thrived in the past. Swiatek and Rybakina have combined to win three of the past four titles here. Meanwhile, Sabalenka has been in two of the past three finals.
