Indian Wells Doubles Take: Teams are ready to rumble for desert title 

Up until the end of the Summer Olympics, only a handful of teams between the ATP and WTA tours were laying claim to the biggest titles. Since then, though, those dominant streaks have seemingly come to an end with more pairs making major moves.

As the 1000-level event in Indian Wells, Calif., returns to the calendar this week, will the new trend continue or can the top duos get back to their winning ways?

On the men’s side, top seeds Mate Pavic and Nikola Mektic went through the first eight months of 2021 seemingly unbeatable, with nine titles—including Wimbledon and a gold medal—out of 12 finals. After a runner-up appearance in Canada, the Croatians dropped their next two matches, including a surprise opening-round loss at the US Open—a year after facing off against each other in the final there with different partners. They’ve navigated difficult draws all year on their way to three titles at the masters level, and will have to do so again. Unseeded floaters like Raven Klaasen/Ben McLachlan, Dan Evans/Neal Skupski and John Isner/Jack Sock lurk in the top half of the draw, along with Horacio Zeballos/Marcel Granollers, the third seeds, and seventh seeds John Peers/Filip Polasek.

Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury, the team that’s been making a late-season charge at Pavic and Mektic, are the second seeds and based on form on the hard courts, could be considered the tournament favorites. The American-English duo triumphed in Canada and New York, and Salisbury is coming off a win in San Diego with Skupski. Surprise US Open semifinalists Steve Johnson and Sam Querrey are in their section of the draw, as well as fifth seeds Kevin Krawietz and Horia Tecau. Ram and Salisbury could face the team they beat in the US Open final, Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares, in the Indian Wells semis. Based on form, the seventh seeds should be able to advance that far out of their section.

Among the women, French Open and Olympic winners Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova are the top seeds. Like Mektic and Pavic, the Czechs were unable to build upon their win in Tokyo, falling in the first round in New York, but doubles is far from their only focus. Krejcikova could arguably considered the player of the year with her success in all disciplines in 2021. A run to the Indian Wells title isn’t out of the question, but they do face a challenging path: The team they’re drawn to face in the quarterfinals, sixth seeds Gabriela Dabrowski and Hayley Carter, have already gotten off to a winning start in the desert. Fourth seeds Alexa Guarachi/Desirae Krawczyk, as well as unseeded duos Jelena Ostapenko/Lyudmila Kichenok and Marie Bouzkova/Lucie Hradecka, can derail some title hopes, too.

Wimbledon winners Su-Wei Hsieh and Elise Mertens are the second seeds and could potentially run into trouble as early as the second round against French Open runners-up Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Iga Swiatek. Hsieh and Mertens are drawn to face Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Demi Schuurs, the fifth seeds, in the quarters. However, that team could be in for a tough early-round encounter of their own against the teen superstars Leylah Fernandez and Coco Gauff.

2021 title leaders Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara, the third seeds, probably have the toughest opener in the women’s draw. The two have already kicked off their campaign against former world No. 1 Sania Mirza and Shuai Zhang. Aoyama and Shibahara inched past Mirza and Zhang in a close opening-round thriller, claiming a 4-6, 6-3, 15-13 victory.