The women’s main draw began action on Wednesday at Indian Wells, although the 32 seeds will not open their campaigns until Friday.  Read about some of the most notable first-round stories today.

Peng Shuai d. Vera Zvonareva:  The 2009 Indian Wells champion in both singles and doubles, Zvonareva received a wildcard into the fourth event of her comeback.  Difficult draws have limited her success so far, and this tournament proved no exception as she fell to 1-4 this year.  Zvonareva charged out to an early lead before losing momentum, but she battled Peng until the bitter end in a 7-5 third set.  Opening action on Stadium 1 for the year, this dramatic encounter set an auspicious tone for the tournament. 

Silvia Soler-Espinosa d. Nadia Petrova:  Like Zvonareva, Petrova had received a wildcard to the tournament.  The former top-five woman has encountered many forms of adversity over the last several months, however, as her career wanes.  Petrova played just two games before bidding the desert farewell with a retirement.

Shelby Rogers d. Petra Cetkovska:  Not since Roland Garros last year had Rogers won a main-draw match.  The 21-year-old from South Carolina has climbed near the threshold of the top 100 with strong results at ITF challengers, and she built on that success with an upset more surprising than the rankings suggested.  While Cetkovska entered the tournament ranked No. 90, she had defeated the second-ranked Li Na in Doha last month en route to a Premier Five quarterfinal there.

Bojana Jovanovski d. Alison Riske:  This result came as a mild surprise.  Although Jovanovski ranked slightly higher, she had compiled just a 4-5 record this year.  Meanwhile, Riske rose to the occasion on home soil last summer by reaching the second week of the US Open.  A match of several twists and turns ended in the Serb’s favor, though, as she rallied from losing six straight games at the end of the first set.

Heather Watson d. Belinda Bencic:  Also a mild surprise, this match pitted the junior No. 1 from Switzerland against a young British talent who has worked with Nick Bolletieri.  Watson had needed to qualify for the main draw, while Bencic had received a wildcard.  The more experienced Brit snapped an eight-match losing streak in the main draw of WTA tournaments as the 16-year-old Bencic struggled with her first serve.  Still, she showed grit in nipping at Watson’s heels from start to finish.

Madison Keys d. Tsvetana Pironkova:  Both women had made headlines at Sydney in January, where Keys had reached the semifinals, and Pironkova had won her first career title.  Both women had struggled since then, and it was the American who got back on track with a dominant effort.  The 19-year-old Keys, who tends to either win big or lose big, held the Bulgarian to a mere three games.

Casey Dellacqua d. Christina McHale:  While McHale brought momentum from reaching the Acapulco final, her exploits last week may have exhausted her.  And Dellacqua should not be underestimated despite her failure to receive direct entry to the main draw.  The Australian qualifier had reached the second week at her home major this year during a span in which she has won 22 of her last 25 matches.  Very little separated the two women, but Dellacqua did just enough late in each set.

The top half of the women’s draw opens play on Thursday, joined by the start of men’s main-draw action.  Among the key matches to watch is a Stadium 1 battle between Victoria Duval and Alisa Kleybanova, who has found little traction so far in her comeback from Hodgkin’s lymphoma.  An American of Haitian origins, Duval seized headlines last fall by upsetting Samantha Stosur at the US Open.  The first night session of the 2014 BNP Paribas Open showcases another American in veteran Bethanie Mattek-Sands, facing French phenom Caroline Garcia a few days after Garcia nearly reached her first career final.  Fans on the outer courts will not regret watching a shootout between two bold shot-makers with charismatic personalities when Camila Giorgi faces Andrea Petkovic. 

On the men’s side, Thursday features a trio of all-American encounters that may shed light on who holds the most promise behind top man John Isner.  Tim Smyczek opens play on Stadium 1 against Jack Sock (above), no stranger to performing on a stage of that magnitude after he won the 2011 US Open mixed doubles crown.  Counterpunchers Michael Russell and Donald Young look to grind down each other on Stadium 2, while Sam Querrey looks to emerge from his recent slump against qualifier Alex Kuznetsov in the first night session of the tournament. 

Check back tomorrow for another look back at the notable events of Thursday’s action.