The number one seed, Iga Swiatek, will be up against Maria Sakkari in the women’s final at Indian Wells after delivering an almost faultless display to easily defeat Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk with a score of 6-2, 6-1.
Sakkari faced tougher competition, ultimately defeating Coco Gauff in a back-and-forth match to secure a spot in the final with a 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-2 win after a lengthy, rain-delayed battle. The championship match will see Swiatek and Sakkari face off once again, just like in the 2022 Indian Wells final where the current top-ranked player lifted the trophy for the first time.
Iga Swiatek made her goals apparent from the beginning of her match against Marta Kostyuk by taking an aggressive approach and securing a break to lead 2-1. She widened the gap even more when Kostyuk made a double fault in the following two games, ultimately winning the first set in just 31 minutes.
Kostyuk, who is 21 years old, once again faced a tough challenge from Swiatek at the beginning of the second set. Swiatek was able to secure another break with a strong smash at the net. Despite some pressure from the 31st seeded player in the following game, the four-time grand slam champion was able to maintain a 3-0 lead.
Kostyuk seemed to have difficulties with a left foot injury and a pause for medical treatment only postponed the inevitable. Swiatek, who now holds the record for 19 match wins this season on the WTA Tour, finished off the match with a forehand winner. “I’m definitely pleased with my performance. I believe it was the most flawless match I’ve played here. The tournament has already been a great experience,” Swiatek commented.
In the second semi-final match, Gauff, the US Open champion, took an early lead against Sakkari. However, the No. 9 seed made a comeback and won the first set 6-4, which was briefly interrupted by a rain delay. The beginning of the second set was delayed due to the weather, giving Sakkari an advantage when play resumed. She broke Gauff’s serve twice and held a 5-2 lead.
However, despite having a match point, Sakkari was unable to secure the win by serving, as Gauff broke back and ultimately won the set on a tie break. Gauff then continued to break Sakkari’s serve at the beginning of the third set, but Sakkari persevered and won four consecutive games to regain control of the match.
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In this instance, Sakkari succeeded in finishing the task at hand by breaking Gauff once more and securing the victory after a duration of two hours and 41 minutes on the court.
Source: theguardian.com
