Tuesday night’s marquee clash at the Indian Wells Open saw Victoria Mboko overpower Amanda Anisimova 6-4, 6-1 in just 73 minutes. Yet from the coin toss onward, the nearly empty stands in Stadium 2 were impossible to ignore. With ticketing issues leaving seats visibly vacant, tournament organizers have now outlined steps to address the situation.

In a statement issued Tue. March 10, the tournament said: “As the tournament continues to grow, we are always evaluating opportunities to improve our programming and operations, including ticketing offerings, and the fan experience.”

The organizers also explained that ticket policies had been adjusted before this year’s event. The aim was to improve the overall fan experience and manage the growing popularity of the tournament.

“In advance of this year’s tournament, we decided to evolve ticket offerings in Stadium 2 to change the upper bowl seat sales from general admission to reserved ticketing. Like every decision we make, we carefully evaluate it after each tournament’s conclusion, and that analysis informs future policies.”

However, the change has not been widely welcomed by tennis fans. Many spectators have expressed frustration with the new ticketing format.

In previous years, Stadium 2 seats were included with a standard grounds pass. The pass typically costs around $60 during the tournament and is cheaper before the event begins.

That grounds pass allowed fans access to Courts 2 through 9. It gave spectators the freedom to move between matches throughout the day. Now the system is different. A Stadium 2 ticket works in a similar way to a Stadium 1 ticket.

Fans must buy a reserved seat for Stadium 2. The ticket also allows access to unreserved seating at Courts 3 through 9. Some seats close to the action on Court 3 can still be reserved with a separate ticket. But most other courts remain open seating.

At the time of writing, Stadium 2 tickets for the fourth-round day session start at about $75. Meanwhile, tickets for Stadium 3 can cost around $170 because the court is closer to the players.

Still, pricing alone is not the main issue. The bigger impact has been seen during night sessions at Stadium 2.

In past years, night matches on that court were often full. Grounds-pass holders would gather there after moving around the complex during the day. Now those matches sometimes appear almost empty. This happens even though Stadium 2 tickets are technically sold out or nearly sold out each day.

The issue seems to be fan endurance. Many ticket holders do not stay in the same stadium for an entire day that can stretch up to 12 hours. By contrast, grounds-pass holders usually walk around the grounds and choose where to watch matches. They are more likely to stay for a final night match.

Despite these concerns, the tournament continues to attract large crowds overall. The event even set a single-day attendance record of nearly 59,000 spectators on its first Friday.

The grounds remain busy throughout the day. General admission courts are often full or even oversubscribed. Importantly, the issue has not been limited to WTA matches. Several ATP matches at the BNP Paribas Open have also seen empty seats in Stadium 2 this year.

Daniil Medvedev and Taylor Fritz’s match draws a sparse crowd at Indian Wells

Concerns about empty seats at the Indian Wells Open were visible even before the match between Victoria Mboko and Amanda Anisimova. Several high-profile matches at Stadium 2 also drew surprisingly small crowds.

One example involved Daniil Medvedev. The former world No. 1 faced Sebastian Baez in an evening match that many expected to attract strong interest. However, the atmosphere told a different story. Despite the star power on court, large sections of seats remained empty throughout the contest.

Another example happened on Saturday, March 7. Taylor Fritz, the American No. 1 and a former Indian Wells champion, opened his campaign against Jacob Fearnley on Court 2.

The match turned into an exciting three-set battle. Yet many seats in the stadium remained empty during the contest. The official tournament website also clarified the ticketing changes. It explained the new policy for Stadium 2 and how access would work moving forward.

Meanwhile, the situation became more complicated during the evening session featuring Anisimova and Mboko. Their match did not receive placement on Stadium 1. Instead, the main court hosted Joao Fonseca against Jannik Sinner, followed by Alexandra Eala facing Linda Noskova.

This scheduling decision angered several fans of Anisimova and Mboko. Many believed the tournament prioritized Fonseca and Eala because of their rapidly growing popularity.

Some fans argued that the decision focused more on commercial value than competitive balance. The debate quickly spread among tennis followers online.

Looking ahead, organizers hope to resolve the Stadium 2 issue in future editions of the tournament. A balanced ticketing approach may help attract more fans and keep the stands full during matches.