This weekend, eight Australians will feature in second-round action at Indian Wells for the first time, surpassing their previous best of seven set in 1976.
World No.6 Alex de Minaur, Adam Walton and Rinky Hijikata will fly the flag the men, while another record-breaking contingent will represent the women.
The Indian Wells 2026 tournament marks the first time five Australian women have reached the second round in the Californian desert, with Maya Joint, Kimberly Birrell, Ajla Tomljanovic, Talia Gibson and Storm Hunter all vying for a place in the last 32.
READ: Hunter prevails as Aussie women create history
Twelve months after being forced to qualify for the tournament, Joint returns as the 29th seed and will begin her campaign on Saturday after receiving a first-round bye. The teenager faces Romanian Jaqueline Cristian, whom she defeated to claim her first WTA singles title in Rabat last May.
As for Birrell, she will be locked in a rematch of her own, facing No.10 seed Victoria Mboko as she also did in an Adelaide International semifinal encounter in January. While Birrell was defeated on that day, she has carried her Adelaide form through the first quarter of 2026.
The Queenslander holds an 11-6 record to begin the year, which includes three top-50 victories and two WTA semifinal appearances. In the latest rankings update, Birrell is ranked inside the top 70 for the first time since June 2025.
The world No.69 seeks redemption against Mboko as she aims to eclipse her best run at Indian Wells from last year.
Tomljanovic, who reached the round of 16 in 2021, looks to continue her impressive form during the North American swing when she faces 30th seed Wang Xinyu. The 32-year-old has won three of her last four matches, which included upsetting world No.18 Iva Jovic in Austin last week.
Victory on Saturday could see Tomljanovic return to the world's top 80.
Gibson, meanwhile, sits on the fringe of the top 100 with a live ranking of world No.101 following her victory on main-draw debut against world No.41 Ann Li. Along with her maiden victory at the event, it was Gibson’s biggest victory to date in terms of ranking.
MORE: Gibson among soaring Aussies at Indian Wells
She is up against No.11 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in her second match.
Hunter also faces a seed in 12th-ranked Belinda Bencic. Enjoying a strong start to the 2026 season, the 31-year-old enters her second-round clash after recording her biggest victory in three years against Magdalena Frech.
In the men’s draw, Walton also features on Saturday as he battles American youngster Learner Tien, the 25th seed.
De Minaur will have to wait until Sunday to kickstart his tournament, scheduled to face either Sebastian Korda or Francisco Comesana. Hijikata will also compete on Sunday, battling No.20 seed Luciano Darderi.
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