Iga Swiatek fended off some stern resistance from former champion Bianca Andreescu to seal her place in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
The top seed battled to a 6-2, 7-6(1), victory after more than two hours of play. Swiatek managed to fight her way back from a break down in both sets as she won 62% of her first service points. Overall, she broke Andreescu five times in the match to record her second Tour victory over the Canadian after Rome last year.
Switek’s roller-coaster victory was a stern contrast to her first match in Indian Wells where she dropped only one game against Claire Liu. However, the Pole said being tested was exactly what she needed at the tournament.
“It was a really tight match. I’m really happy that I actually played such a tight match because now I see how I can handle those situations after a couple of matches that were kind of one way,” she said.
“I think we both played well. I’m happy that in those important moments, I was the one that was more solid.”
Reunited with her coach Tomasz Wiktorowski in Indian Wells after being without him during the Middle East swing, Swiatek enlisted his help throughout her latest clash. Coaching is allowed during matches at Indian Wells under WTA rules.
“He can see from a different perspective without emotions what was working,” she said of Wiktorowski.
“Sometimes I have trouble with analyzing exactly what I have to do. So it was pretty simple stuff, basically like coming back to what we discussed before the match, and it was basically the same tactics.”
The 20-year-old has now won 14 matches this season against just three losses. She has already won a title in 2023 after triumphing at the Doha Open last month and was also a runner-up in Dubai.
Awaiting Swiatek in the fourth round is a revitalized Emma Raducanu who has already produced a series of impressive results at the tournament. The former US Open champion defeated 13th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-1, 2-6, 6-4, in her third round match. Raducanu, who received a wild card into the tournament, also defeated Danka Kovinic and Magda Linette earlier in the tournament.
“I think after playing her in Stuttgart I know how her shots feel on the racquet because before I haven’t even practiced with her,” Swiatek said of her next opponent.
“I think I have to really take care of the tactics anyway, and we’ll see. Honestly, like every day is different. The Stuttgart match was almost a year ago. So a long time ago.”
Swiatek is seeking to become only the second woman in history to defend her title at Indian Wells after Martina Navratilova.