Iga Swiatek reaches Indian Wells Open quarter-final
Defending champion Iga Swiatek secured her place in the Indian Wells quarter-finals with a 6-1 6-1 win over Karolina Muchova.
Swiatek, from Poland, is aiming to become the first woman to win the California tournament three times, having also claimed the title in 2022.
The match was delayed by nearly an hour due to rain, but once it started, Swiatek needed just 57 minutes to win in dominant fashion, not facing a single break point.
The world number two has dropped only six games on her way to the quarter-finals and will play either China’s eighth seed Zheng Qinwen or 18th seed Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine next.
“Sometimes matches can be a bit strange,” Swiatek said. “It only takes one player to not feel quite right and the other to play great. Then, suddenly, the difference becomes much bigger than usual.”
“It’s tennis. Things like that can happen. I made the most of my opportunities and chances. It’s not always easy, but I can imagine it looked like it was.”
The 23-year-old, who has won five Grand Slam titles, is the first woman to reach the Indian Wells quarter-finals for four straight years since Karolina Pliskova, who did so from 2016 to 2019.
