"Quality time with my fellow birthday girl" - Belinda Bencic and Petra Kvitova enjoy a fun date in Indian Wells ahead of their birthdays

Belinda Bencic and Petra Kvitova recently enjoyed a delightful day of shopping in Indian Wells to celebrate their respective birthdays. Bencic celebrates her birthday on March 10 whereas Kvitova celebrates on March 8.

The Sunshine Double is set to commence in the California desert at the BNP Paribas Open. Bencic and Kvitova are in the United States to compete at the WTA 1000 tournament that gets underway on March 8.

Petra Kvitova is seeded 15th in this year's edition. She suffered a devastating third-round loss at the hands of Maria Sakkari in last year's competition.

On Wednesday, the Czech tennis player took to social media to share a picture of herself and Bencic, after having spent the day indulging in some retail therapy to celebrate their birthdays. For sure, the two relished their downtime before beginning their campaign in Indian Wells.

"Spending some quality time with my fellow birthday girl ❤️🎁 @belindabencic @bnpparibasopen," Kvitova captioned the Instagram post.

Belinda Bencic, who is seeded ninth at the upcoming tournament, shared the same photo on her Instagram story. She expressed that sharing a birthday with someone is always special.

"(Almost) shared Birthdays are the best Birthdays," Bencic wrote.

Belinda Bencic's Instagram story

Kvitova and Bencic have both received a first-round bye at Indian Wells.

Belinda Bencic enjoys a game of football before beginning her 2023 Indian Wells campaign

Belinda Bencic at the 2021 French Open

Prior to commencing their 2023 Indian Wells campaign, Belinda Bencic, Iga Swiatek, and a number of their peers engaged in a game of football.

On Tuesday, the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) took to Instagram to share a series of pictures of various tennis stars letting loose and playing football.

"Staying loose ahead of the Sunshine Swing #TennisParadise," the WTA captioned the post.

Having already won two titles this year, Bencic is expected to have a successful run in the tournament. The World No. 9 could face sixth seed and Auckland champion Coco Gauff in the fourth round if the draw pans out according to the seedings.

Given her sterling form this year, the Swiss is likely to surpass the American and secure her spot in the quarterfinals. If she performs at her peak, there is a high probability that she could make a significant impact at Indian Wells and potentially go on a deep run in the tournament.