Women's

Qualifying at the BNP Paribas Open comes to an end on Tuesday. As results roll in throughout the day, get to know the qualifiers that have booked their spot into the main draw.

Home players have thrived so far.

Clervie Ngounoue (USA):

After losing to Taylor Townsend as a wildcard in the final round of qualifying 12 months ago, the 2023 junior Wimbledon winner went one better this time after a seesaw encounter against third-seed Sonay Kartal. Clervie Ngounoue initially trailed by a set and 3-1, saw a 5-2 lead in the third disappear but finally claimed the decider 7-5.

Varvara Lepchenko (USA):

The left-hander who turns 39 in May last played in the main draw in 2018 when she lost to an Aryna Sabalenka ranked 63rd. Varvara Lepchenko — who downed Townsend on Tuesday — reached a career high of No. 19 in 2012 and has played in the second week of a major twice.

Whitney Osuigwe (USA):

The sets Whitney Osuigwe played against Kaja Juvan on Tuesday differed completely. She
won the first 6-0 in 26 minutes before taking the second 7-6 (9) in roughly 80 minutes. Osuigwe rallied from 6-3 down in the tiebreak to clinch a spot in the main draw for the first time.

Hailey Baptiste (USA):

Qualifying for the main draw is becoming commonplace for Hailey Baptiste. She did it last year, too, and held two match points against Madison Keys.

Claire Liu (USA):

After facing the likes of Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff in the desert, Liu gets another crack at the main draw. Osuigwe beat Liu in the 2017 French Open junior final but Liu won the Wimbledon junior crown a month later.

Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS):

Ajla Tomljanovic got into the main draw after her opponent, Zeynep Sonmez, pulled out injured. One of her six Top 10 wins came in Indian Wells in 2021 when the Aussie bettered Garbine Muguruza. It wasn’t officially a Top 10 win, but Tomljanovic also beat Serena Williams in Williams’ final tournament, the 2022 US Open.

Kimberly Birrell (AUS):

Kimberly Birrell became the Australian women’s No. 1 earlier in the year, accumulating a chunk of ranking points after making the quarterfinals in Brisbane in January. She upset Emma Navarro and came within a point of beating Anhelina Kalinina in the quarters.

Maya Joint (AUS):

18-year-old Maya Joint was born in Michigan but switched nationality two years ago. She is one of four Australian women inside the Top 100 in the rankings, which hadn’t been achieved since 2019.

Maddison Inglis (AUS):

Who did Leylah Fernandez play in her first Grand Slam match after making the US Open final in 2021? Maddison Inglis at the 2022 Australian Open — and Inglis won in straight sets on the way to her best ever Grand Slam finish (third round).

Jule Niemeier (GER):

Jule Niemeier beat No. 2 seed Eva Lys 6-4, 6-3 on Tuesday. But if the result was an upset on paper, don’t forget that the power hitter reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 2022.

Viktorija Golubic (SUI):

Viktorija Golubic owns a rare one-handed backhand. It was in full flow recently, as the 32-year-old compiled a 15-match winning streak that ended at the Australian Open when two match points came and went against Elise Mertens. In a few weeks in 2021, Golubic made the Wimbledon quarterfinals and bagged the silver medal in doubles alongside Belinda Bencic at the Tokyo Olympics.

Maria Lourdes Carle (ARG):

Maria Lourdes Carle has never advanced to a tour-level quarterfinal but came within a whisker last year in Monterrey. Lulu Sun’s backhand was called wide on match point but Sun challenged and was proved right. Sun later won in a third-set tiebreak and went on
to make the final.

Men

Colton Smith (USA):

Smith is playing in his first ATP main draw. To get there, he saved three set points in the second set against Pavel Kotov on Tuesday. A stalwart at the University of Arizona, Smith nabbed his first Challenger title earlier this year. Away from the courts, the 21-year-old likes to hunt and fish.

Ethan Quinn (USA):

Quinn qualified for the main draw for the second consecutive year. The 20-year-old — mentored by Tommy Paul — has made ranking inroads in 2025, rising from World No. 202 to a career-high World No. 137.

Giulio Zeppieri (ITA):

In January 2024, Zeppieri wasn’t far away from breaking the Top 100, coming in at No. 110. A wrist injury, though, derailed his progress and led his ranking to plummet to its current World No. 394.

Matteo Gigante (ITA):

Botic van de Zandschulp beat Carlos Alcaraz last year at the US Open and then Rafael Nadal in Nadal’s last ever match in November. But Gigante overcame the Dutchman 7-5, 6-0 on Tuesday, crucially saving two set points at 4-5 in the first set. Who is Gigante’s idol? Nadal.

Kamil Majchrzak (POL):

Majchrzak won gold at the Youth Olympics in 2014, with Andrey Rublev taking bronze. Later in his career, he received a 13-month doping suspension in 2022 but officials ruled he didn’t knowingly or intentionally commit an infraction.

Yosuke Watanuki (JPN):

During their match in Miami in 2023, Frances Tiafoe proclaimed that Watanuki was playing like a Top five player. But a year later, Watanuki suffered a knee injury and missed much of the season.

Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO):

Still with the theme of injuries, elbow surgery meant Basilashvili’s ranking spiraled outside the Top 500 as recently as June 2024. A former No. 16, he almost won the title in Tennis Paradise in 2021, losing to Cam Norrie in the fall finale.

Pablo Carreno Busta (ESP):

Besides being a two-time US Open semifinalist, Pablo Carreno Busta is also an Indian Wells semifinalist (2017). Even after a right elbow injury severely impacted the Spaniard in the last few years, the 33-year-old toughed out wins over Zachary Svajda — saving
a match point — and Alexis Galarneau in qualifying.

Li Tu (AUS):

Li Tu might be 28 but he didn’t play professionally for a roughly seven-year stretch. Instead, he coached kids. He decided to give the pro ranks a shot and isn’t that far from his career high ranking of 168th.

Hugo Gaston (FRA):

Hugo Gaston first made a name for himself at the 2020 French Open when he beat Stan
Wawrinka and then took Dominic Thiem to five sets, drop shots in tow. The lefty finished last year inside the Top 100 for the first time since 2021 but has gone 1-5 in main draw play this season.

Damir Dzumhur (BIH):

Like Gaston, Damir Dzumhur possesses great touch. He achieved his career-best ranking of 23rd in 2018, the year he almost upset Alexander Zverev at the French Open and two years after he ousted Nadal in Miami. A season high six Challenger titles allowed Dzumhur to return to the Top 100 in 2024 after four years away.

Adam Walton (AUS):

Adam Walton is beginning to establish himself inside the Top 100 after his time at the University of Tennessee. He played all four Grand Slams last year and this week competes in his second ever Masters 1000 main draw.