Overview
- This year the BNP Paribas Open made all seats in Stadium 2 reserved, ending grounds-pass access that previously covered the upper bowl.
- Several marquee matches in Stadium 2, including Daniil Medvedev vs. Sebastian Baez, Taylor Fritz vs. Jacob Fearnley, and Amanda Anisimova vs. Victoria Mboko, played before visibly sparse crowds.
- The contrast came as the tournament reported packed grounds and a single-day attendance record of 58,828 on the first Friday.
- In a statement, Indian Wells said it will carefully evaluate the Stadium 2 decision after the tournament and declined to provide separate attendance figures for that venue when asked.
- Ticket listings showed Stadium 2 seats priced well above a grounds pass on some sessions, with examples of $75 versus $50 and $165 versus $50, drawing criticism from fans and journalists over access and optics.