After the first round came to an end in Tennis Paradise, we know who the higher seeds — such as Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek and Novak Djokovic — will be facing when they begin their campaigns. 

So let’s take a closer look at some of their opponents, who are a mix of established veterans and those with less experience on the tour.

Grigor Dimitrov (vs Carlos Alcaraz) 

Dimitrov turned pro in 2008 but the last few years have been especially eventful for the Bulgarian. He enjoyed a renaissance — returning to the top 10 in 2024 after roughly five-and-a-half years away — but then retired in four straight majors starting at the 2024 US Open as injuries surfaced.

When he called it quits against Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon last year, he led by two sets. Yes, the Italian proceeded to win the title.

Unseeded in Indian Wells for the first time since his debut in 2012, the 34-year-old battled past talented Frenchman Terence Atmane in the first round. 

Dimitrov has beaten fellow crowd pleaser Alcaraz in two of their last three meetings — but the world No. 1 won the last one in Indian Wells last year 6-1, 6-1. 

Kayla Day (vs Iga Swiatek) 

This isn’t Day’s first dance in Tennis Paradise. A native of Santa Barbara, the lefty made waves in her debut in 2017 by reaching the third round as a wildcard ranked 175th. 

“It was like a full-circle moment to grow up watching that tournament and play there,” Day told the WTA in 2023, when she made the third round at the French Open. 

The year before, Day bagged the US Open junior title. 

But injuries and mono slowed the 26-year-old down and she has not finished inside the top 100 since 2023. 

Day shares at least one thing in common with Swiatek, who like Alcaraz is a two-time winner in the California desert. They both idolized Rafael Nadal. 

Kamil Majchrzak (vs Novak Djokovic) 

The odds were stacked against Majchrzak in the first round as the 30-year-old faced the bulldozing serves of Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. He trailed by a break in the third set, 4-3. 

But he overturned the deficit to set up a clash with Djokovic, who some in his native Poland say shares a similar style to the 24-time Grand Slam winner. 

Majchrzak reached the fourth round at Wimbledon in 2025 and pulled off a huge comeback at the US Open months later, saving five match points against Karen Khachanov. 

Donna Vekic (vs Jessica Pegula) 

These are tough times for Vekic. Having lost four straight main-draw matches at tour level coming into Tennis Paradise, the 29-year-old Croatian slipped outside the top 100 for the first time since 2022. 

Going back to 2017, she has only been outside the top 100 benchmark for a few months. 

Maybe her tight 7-6(4), 7-6(4) win over the rising Tereza Valentova signals a turnaround. 

When her game — a combination of power but also baseline scrappiness — is working, Vekic has shown how dangerous she is. 

She reached the Wimbledon semifinals in 2024, then switched straight to clay and won silver at the Paris Olympics. 

Pegula, though, has won both of their previous matches against the wildcard.

Anna Blinkova (vs Amanda Anisimova) 

Blinkova is no stranger to making tennis history. At the 2024 Australian Open, she won the longest ever singles tiebreak at a  Grand Slam, 22-20, against Elena Rybakina. 

Being in a third set, it also clinched the second-round match. 

A consistent baseliner with top 100 finishes in seven of the past eight seasons, the 27-year-old has notable skills off the court, too. 

She speaks (at least) seven languages, even addressing fans in Chinese as she collected her second career title in Jiujiang last October. 

Blinkova won her first match since Jiujiang this week, defeating Dalma Galfi.