Day 3 at Indian Wells, and let me tell you—tournament life is not all sunshine and perfect mic placement. Today was one of those days where I almost scrapped my video for another one. Sometimes, the behind-the-scenes reality isn’t glamorous, and I think it’s important to show that side too. Case in point: the DJI mic is usually great, but my placement tonight? Not so much. Just one of those things! But the key takeaway? We keep rolling.
Speaking of keeping up—I know I’ve been promising these links for the last two days, so before I forget again, here they are:
🎤 DJI Mic: DJI Mic Mini
🎾 Black Spin Global on Instagram: Black Spin Global IG
🎾 Black Spin Global on BlueSky: Black Spin Global BlueSky
🔥 Tie Break Tens Replay on YouTube:
Now, let’s talk about today’s action.
The Stars Are Out… on the Practice Courts 🌟
One of the best-kept secrets of the early rounds at Indian Wells? Sometimes, the real show isn’t on the match courts—it’s on the practice courts. And today was one of those days.
If you had a ground pass, you got to see some of the biggest names in the game putting in the work:
🎾 Novak Djokovic
🎾 Carlos Alcaraz
🎾 Frances Tiafoe
🎾 Coco Gauff
🎾 Matteo Berrettini
🎾 Holger Rune
It’s insightful being just a few feet away from these stars as they fine-tune their shots before stepping into competition. I feel like I learn more about the game with every practice I watch. If you’re coming to Indian Wells early in the tournament, don’t skip the practice courts!
Matches That Caught Our Attention 👀
Even with all that star power on the sidelines, today’s first-round action did not disappoint. Some standout performances:
✅ Colton Smith – Keep this name on your radar. After winning the Cleveland Challenger last month (yep, the one we told you to check out), Colton fought through qualifying here at Indian Wells and scored a huge win over top-40 player Flavio Cobolli. We’ve got his post-match interview below.
✅ Robin Montgomery – Now this was a comeback. Down a set and trailing 5-2 in the second, Robin flipped the script and pulled out an incredible win. That’s next-level grit.
✅ Lulu Sun – Maybe Lulu started the comeback trend of the day, because she had her own thriller against Rebecca Sramkova (Player of the Fortnight alum!). A clutch tiebreak sealed the deal—solid performance.
✅ Ashlyn Krueger – After dropping the first set 0-6 against Katie Volynets, things weren’t looking great. But Ashlyn turned it around in epic fashion, winning the next two sets 6-2, 6-2. How did she do it? We’ll have to ask her!
Photo courtesy of Mauricio Paiz
More action to come as we roll into the heart of the tournament! Thanks for following along, and if you’re enjoying Ground Pass On-Site, make sure to subscribe for all the behind-the-scenes coverage.
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