Petra Kvitova's return to tennis has been spoiled for the second week running after she was beaten in the first round of Indian Wells by Varvara Gracheva

Petra Kvitova, playing in just her second tournament since giving birth to her first child in July, lost a tight three-setter to Varvara Gracheva in the opening round of Indian Wells on Wednesday.

Find out how to watch, live stream, TV channel, tournament information, & more for Petra Kvitova vs. Varvara Gracheva at the 2025 BNP Paribas Open.

The former world No. 2 returned to competition at last week’s ATX Open in Austin, losing her opening match to Jodie Burrage after taking the first set. It was a similar story in Indian Wells, where Kvitova took the lead against Gracheva before losing in three.

Petra Kvitova once again struggled with her rhythm, falling to Varvara Gracheva 6-4, 3-6, 4-6. The unforced errors took their toll on the two-time Grand Slam champion, who now faces her second consecutive defeat since returning after a year-long maternity break.

Ranked No. 70 in the world, Gracheva secured 68 percent of points on her first serve and 56 percent on her second, sealing the victory over the 34-year-old Czech in two hours and 22 minutes.

In the BNP Paribas Open Round of 128 on Wednesday, we have a matchup of No. 70-ranked Varvara Gracheva against Petra Kvitova.Kvitova has -125 odds to earn a win in this match versus Gracheva

Varvara Gracheva came from a set down to defeat Petra Kvitova in the BNP Paribas Open first round, and paid tribute to the returning mother afterwards.

The 34-year-old is on the comeback trail seven months after giving birth to her son. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Gracheva, the World No. 70, notched her first win over Kvitova, whom she had lost to 7-5, 7-6 (5) in the 2023 Miami fourth round. The result was the Frenchwoman's first victory in Indian Wells since making the last 16 in the same year. She will next face No. 9 seed Mirra Andreeva in the second round.

Find out how to watch, live stream, TV channel, tournament information, & more for Varvara Gracheva vs. Mirra Andreeva at the 2025 BNP Paribas Open.