The main draw of the BNP Paribas Open begins Wednesday after Tuesday’s conclusion of qualifying rounds, which included a reported death threat against one player on Monday.
Italian women’s player Lucrezia Stefanini posted a video Tuesday on Instagram claiming that she received a text message featuring a photo of a gun before Monday’s qualifying match against Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva.
“I received a WhatsApp message in which I was threatened … They threatened me and my family and named my parents, the place where I was born, and they sent me a photo of a gun,” Stefanini said.
“I’m making this video and explaining what happened because I don’t think it’s right to put me under this pressure and unease before a match. I immediately alerted the WTA, which provided me with more security. … The entire tournament mobilized to make me feel safe.
“Despite it all, I fought until the end to try and win my match, because I can’t permit these people to intimidate me.”
Stefanini, who is ranked No. 138 in the Women’s Tennis Association rankings, lost to Kasintseva, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Tournament officials did not immediately reply to a request for comment Wednesday morning, but Angelo Binaghi, president of Italian Tennis and Padel Federation, called the episode “intolerable.”
“Sending images of weapons, knowledge of personal information and intimidation toward an athlete marks an increase of disturbing quality that doesn’t have anything to do with sports,” Binaghi said, according to ESPN, which described the incident as an apparent attempt to affect the match’s result for betting purposes.
“Whoever thinks they can condition a match through fear … should know that they have entered criminal territory,” Binaghi added. “`This kind of behavior deserves an immediate legal response.”
Meanwhile, main draw matches in the round of 128 were scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Indian Wells Tennis Garden. The top players won’t appear until the round of 64 begins on Friday.
The tournament continues through March 15.
The men’s draw includes world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, No. 2 Jannik Sinner of Italy, Novak Djokovic, who’s won a record 24 major titles, and defending BNP Paribas Open champion Jack Draper of Great Britain.
Three highly ranked men’s players from Russia — Daniil Medvedev, Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev — have made it out of Dubai after being temporarily stranded there after the Dubai Tennis Championships due to travel restrictions caused by the war in Iran. All three were expected to make it to Indian Wells, according to multiple media reports.
This year’s women’s draw includes the top 10 players in the WTA rankings, including reigning champion Mirra Andreeva, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, and 45-year-old Venus Williams, who received a wild-card invitation to the tournament last month. Williams will play 111th-ranked Diane Parry of France on Thursday.
After Sabalenka, the next four seeds are Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula.
Ticket information can be found at bnpparibasopen.com/tickets.