2026 Indian Wells: Meet the 12 Men Who Qualified for the Main Draw
The qualifying dust has settled in the Coachella Valley, and 12 men are left standing. Under the pristine desert sun, Tuesday’s final round of qualifying at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden saw a grueling slate of matches across six courts, with each winner securing a coveted ticket to the BNP Paribas Open main draw.
McDonald Cruises Back to the Big Stage
For Mackenzie McDonald, returning to the main draw felt like a homecoming. The Northern California native and former UCLA standout dominated the final match on Stadium 4, dispatching 19-year-old Trevor Svajda 6-4, 6-2.
Currently ranked No. 126, the 2016 Indian Wells debutant used his veteran poise to navigate the tricky moments. McDonald was clinical under pressure, erasing all five break points he faced to close out the all-American clash in a brisk 68 minutes.
Prizmic’s Masters Breakthrough
On the other side of the experience spectrum, 20-year-old Dino Prizmic reached a career milestone by qualifying for his first-ever ATP Masters 1000 main draw. The Croatian prospect delivered a statement performance, ousting Australia’s Aleksandar Vukic 6-2, 6-4.
“Reaching a Masters 1000 main draw has been a primary goal for this season,” Prizmic said after his victory.
The World No. 119 is no stranger to high-stakes tennis, having claimed the Roland Garros boys’ singles title in 2023. With this victory, the former junior No. 8 proves he is ready to be a permanent fixture on the professional circuit’s biggest stages.
Qualifiers & Their First-Round Matchups
The bracket is now set. Here is how the 12 qualifiers fared on Tuesday and who they will face in the opening round of the main draw:
| Qualifier | Defeated (Final Round Qualies) | Round 1 Opponent |
| Sho Shimabukuro | Martin Landaluce (6-2, 6-7, 7-5) | Alexander Shevchenko |
| Francesco Maestrelli | Thiago Agustin Tirante (7-6, 6-4) | Rinki Hijikata |
| Rinky Hijikata | Ignacio Buse (3-6, 6-3, 6-4) | Francesco Maestrelli |
| Mackenzie McDonald | Trevor Svajda (6-4, 6-2) | Matteo Arnaldi |
| Benjamin Bonzi | Shintaro Mochizuki (6-4, 5-7, 6-3) | Valentin Royer |
| Tseng Chun-Hsin | Roman Andres Burruchaga (2-6, 7-6, 6-3) | Sebastian Baez |
| Daniel Merida | Dane Sweeny (6-3, 4-6, 6-3) | Alex Michelsen |
| Christopher O’Connell | Nikoloz Basilashvili (6-4, 6-4) | Marton Fucsovics |
| Dino Prizmic | Aleksandar Vukic (6-2, 6-4) | Tristan Schoolkate |
| Tristan Schoolkate | Elias Ymer (6-4, 3-1 RET) | Dino Prizmic |
| Alexis Galarneau | Tomas Barrios Vera (6-3, 6-4) | Gael Monfils |
| Dalibor Svrcina | Vit Kopriva (7-6, 6-4) | James Duckworth |