INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA - An absolutely packed field has assembled in Indian Wells for the $4.5-million BNP Paribas Open, the first of two back-to-back Premier tournaments on American hardcourts over the next month.

Svetlana Kuznetsova, a two-time Grand Slam champion and the world's No.3 player, is the top seed. Nobody has come as close to the title here without taking it as Kuznetsova, a runner-up in back-to-back years in 2007 (to Daniela Hantuchova) and 2008 (to Ana Ivanovic). She was the No.2 seed both of those years - perhaps as the No.1 seed for the first time here she will fulfill her on paper expectations again. All Top 32 seeds have first round byes.

Six more Top 10 players populate the draw, including the one who lies just one spot below Kuznetsova on the rankings, Caroline Wozniacki. Undeniably the fastest-rising player over the last year among the upper echelon of the game, the No.4-ranked Dane will try to get past the quarters here for the first time.

Victoria Azarenka, Elena Dementieva, Agnieszka Radwanska, Jelena Jankovic and Li Na are seeded No.3 to No.7, with world No.11 Samantha Stosur snapping up the No.8 seed. Dementieva was runner-up here in 2006.

Stosur is doing an ESPN online chat Wednesday - submit questions here!

Coincidentally, none of the six returning champions are in the Top 8 seeds...

2009: Vera Zvonareva (seeded No.12 this year)
2008: Ana Ivanovic (seeded No.24 this year)
2007: Daniela Hantuchova (seeded No.21 this year)
2006: Maria Sharapova (seeded No.10 this year)
2005: Kim Clijsters (seeded No.14 this year)
2004: Justine Henin (wildcard this year)
2003: Clijsters (first of two titles)
2002: Hantuchova (first of two titles)

Zvonareva, Clijsters, Hantuchova and Ivanovic all lie on the top half of the draw; Sharapova and Henin are on the bottom half of the draw.

Henin, who reached finals in the first two events of her Sony Ericsson WTA Tour comeback this year - at Brisbane and the Australian Open - faces Magdalena Rybarikova in the first round and could end up facing Radwanska in the third round. This will be the Belgian's last tournament as an unranked player, as it takes three events in a 12-month period to obtain a Tour ranking.