Coco Gauff defeated Moyuka Uchijima 6–4, 3–6, 7–6 in the first round of Indian Wells on hard court, confirming her status as the heavy pre-match favourite with odds of 1.10. The American won the opening set convincingly before Uchijima levelled by taking the second, forcing a decisive third-set tiebreak that Gauff ultimately controlled. The result maintains Gauff's momentum in the early stages of the tournament and keeps her on course for a deep run at the California Masters 1000 event.