No. 1 Serena Williams: It was nothing short of a redemption story. Yes, Williams pulled out before her semifinal clash with Simona Halep, but this year's Indian Wells event was a story of forgiveness and graciousness. Judging by the rousing reception the world No. 1 received just before her opening match and during her withdrawal speech to the crowd, the 2001 incident looks like it's truly a thing of the past.
No. 3 Simona Halep: No player has ascended to the top of the game quicker than Halep has in the past two seasons. Indian Wells was her 11th career title but her first at a Premier Mandatory event. Halep now leads all players in the Road to Singapore, the WTA's eight-player race to the prestigious year-end championships.
No. 5 Caroline Wozniacki: The Dane does have a title to her name in 2015, but that came at the Malaysia Open, a lower-level event devoid of any real star power. At the two biggest tournaments so far this season, the Aussie Open and Indian Wells, Wozniacki is a disappointing 2-2. She now heads to Miami, where she was a quarterfinalist a year ago.
No. 7 Eugenie Bouchard: The lack of attention she's received this season comes as a surprise considering her rise to prominence -- on and off the court -- a year ago. But Bouchard, who was sidelined with an arm injury earlier this season, has pretty much been a non-factor. At Indian Wells, she won two matches before an error-strewn fourth-round loss against qualifier Lesia Tsurenko.
No. 8 Agnieszka Radwanska: The only positive we can see is that Radwanska is headed to Miami, a tournament she won in 2012 when she beat Maria Sharapova in the finale. Radwanska hasn't lost before the finals of this Premier Mandatory event since 2009 and has a disconcerting 7-7 record so far this season.
No. 17 Jelena Jankovic: The former world No. 1 had lost four of six matches heading into Indian Wells. Something clicked, though, and she wound up in a final she should have won. Up a set and a break against Halep, Jankovic's suffered a case of the jitters and never recovered. The Serb spoke candidly of her loss: "If you're gonna win, you have to take everything in your control and risk and execute and go after your shots."
No. 21 Sabine Lisicki: The former Wimbledon runner-up showed some real backbone in a three-set win (in which she saved three match points) versus defending Indian Wells champ Flavia Pennetta in the quarterfinals. An exhausted Lisicki fell to Jankovic in the next round, but her run was a positive sign for the German, who was a dismal 1-6 heading into the desert.
No. 23 Timea Bacsinszky: Move over, Roger and Stan, because Bacsinszky is the hottest thing going in Swiss tennis right now. She won back-to-back WTA titles in Acapulco and Monterrey, Mexico, and 15 straight matches before she ran into a certain world No. 1 in the Indian Wells quarterfinals.