Bernarda Pera defeated Liudmila Samsonova 2–6, 7–6, 7–6 in the first round of the Indian Wells Masters 1000 on hard court on 11 March 2023, pulling off a significant upset against the pre-match favourite. Samsonova, seeded higher in the betting markets with odds of 1.29, lost control after dropping the opening set and could not capitalise on her early momentum. Pera, a 3.97 outsider, fought back through two tiebreak sets to secure her passage through to the next round. The American's comeback from a set down demonstrates resilience on the hard courts of the California desert, where consistency in the crucial moments proved decisive. The result marks a notable scalp for Pera against a player ranked considerably higher in the WTA standings.