Swiatek Powers Into Quarterfinals With Six Total Games Dropped

It has been said that the great ones can win a few games in the locker room before a match. For two-time BNP Paribas Open champion Iga Swiatek, whose relentlessly physical game has become best in class on the gritty hard courts of the Indian Wells Tennis Garden over the last three years, maybe more than a few.

On an overcast day in Tennis Paradise, after spits of rain delayed play for nearly an hour until the sun came out, the Pole cast a black cloud over 15th-seeded Karolina Muchova from first ball, and marched without interruption to a 6-1, 6-1 victory.

“For sure I felt great,” Swiatek said, stating the obvious after her victory. “I used all my chances and I’m pretty happy that I played with such confidence.”

Swiatek improves to 21-2 lifetime in the California desert, and stretches her current winning streak at the tournament to nine victories. She will face either China’s Qinwen Zheng or Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in the quarterfinals.

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The Pole has dropped just six games through three rounds, which ties Monica Seles’ record for the fewest games dropped en route to the Indian Wells quarterfinals, with minimum three matches played.

In the process, Swiatek ramps up her bid to become the first woman to ever win three BNP Paribas Open titles, and the first woman to successfully defend the title here since Martina Navratilova in 1991.

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