INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — With all due respect to the other deserving Oscar winners, the BNP Paribas Open — one week in — truly has been Everything Everywhere All At Once.
A little over 100 miles due west, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences handed out its awards Sunday night at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. As a public service — minus the red carpet and host Jimmy Kimmel — we present our prestigious (and highly coveted) prize alternative, the Best of Week 1 from Indian Wells:
Best Score: Petra Kvitova hit a dubious 11 double faults but managed to convert six of her seven break points in a marvelously manic 6-0, 0-6, 6-4 third-round victory over — who else? — Jelena Ostapenko. After Ostapenko won the first six games, Kvitova came back with 10 of her own. Ostapenko leveled it at 4-all but, after a medical timeout, Kvitova ran off the final two games — a wonderful way to reach your first Round of 16 at Indian Wells since 2016.
Best Animated Feature: Goes to … Emma Raducanu. The 2021 US Open champion has struggled in the past 18 months but found something in the dry heat of the Coachella Valley. The 20-year-old from Great Britain beat Danka Kovinic in the first round, then No.20 Magda Linette, an Australian Open semifinalist, in the second. On Monday, Raducanu took down No.13 Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 and was very animated (and emotional) afterward. She’ll meet No.1 seed Iga Swiatek in a highly anticipated matchup of Grand Slam champions on Wednesday.
Best Special Effects: A riveting three-way tie … Magda Linette’s wonderfully surprising smash versus Emma Raducanu:
Bianca Andreescu’s absolutely Fedesque, sharp-angled forehand through the service box against Peyton Stearns:
Ons Jabeur’s lethal drop-shot reply against Marketa Vondrousova:
Best Costume Design: Coco Gauff’s vibrant orange and black New Balance kit has been a big hit in the desert.
Cecil B. DeMille Award for Meritorious Service: OK, OK — we know this is a Golden Globes thing, but it certainly applies to Caroline Garcia. She served seven aces in her opening match against Dalma Galfi and added 11 more in her second against Leylah Fernandez. It all adds up to a Hologic WTA Tour-leading 172 aces.
Best Live Action Short Subject: The aforementioned Swiatek over Claire Liu, 6-0, 6-1. When she finally broke through, fighting off a match point, after losing the first 11 games, the crowd gave Liu a nice ovation. Match time:…