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BNP Paribas Open: Iga Swiatek Advances to Final
During the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, top-ranked player Iga Swiatek demonstrated her dominance by defeating Marta Kostyuk with a score of 6-2, 6-1, securing a spot in the tournament final. Swiatek’s victory extended her impressive 2024 record to 19-2, solidifying her as a force to be reckoned with on the WTA Tour.
Swiatek’s upcoming final match will be against the winner of the semifinal clash between third-seeded Coco Gauff and No. 9 seed Maria Sakkari. Historically, Swiatek has shown superiority over Gauff, winning nine out of their ten encounters, and has also claimed victory in three out of five matches against Sakkari.
Not a stranger to success at the Indian Wells tournament, Swiatek previously emerged victorious in 2022 during a remarkable 37-match winning streak. Her journey to the final included a semi-final victory when Caroline Wozniacki retired mid-match, with Swiatek in the lead at 6-4, 1-0.
Throughout her match against Kostyuk, the Ukrainian player displayed aggression with 17 winners compared to Swiatek’s 14. However, Swiatek’s overall performance was superior, as she outshone her opponent in various aspects of the game and did not face a single break point. Notably, Swiatek maintained an impressive 74% first-serve accuracy, won 83% of her first-serve points, and secured 50% of her second-serve points on a challenging evening characterized by cool and windy conditions in the desert of Southern California.
Reflecting on her flawless performance, Swiatek expressed satisfaction in an on-court interview, stating, “It was the cleanest match I played here. I didn’t really have any moment today in the match where I didn’t feel confident.”
In the men’s doubles final, the Croatian player Nikola Mektic and his Dutch partner Wesley Koolhof emerged victorious by defeating the fifth-seeded duo of Marcel Granollers from Spain and Horacio Zeballos from Argentina with a score of 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4). The successful pair earned a prize of $447,300 for their achievement.
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