INDIAN WELLS, Calif. – Two years in the past, the final time Iga Swiatek and Maria Sakkari performed a tennis match, there have been some massive implications — however on the time, nobody knew how massive.
They met within the BNP Paribas Open closing and Swiatek gained by a routine 6-4, 6-1 depend. The under-the-radar prize: With Swiatek ranked No.4 and Sakkari No.6, the 2 gamers jumped up into the No.2 and No.3 spots. That proved important when World No.1 Ashleigh Barty retired one week later — and Swiatek, not Sakkari, was elevated to No.1, the 28th participant in Hologic WTA Tour historical past to attain that milestone.
Increase your hand should you believed the 20-year-old from Poland would nonetheless be on the high of ladies’s tennis two years later. Except Aryna Sabalenka’s eight-week go to to the summit late final summer time, Swiatek’s reign has been an everlasting one.
Sunday at Indian Wells, historical past repeated itself. Swiatek was really one higher this time, dispatching Sakkari 6-4, 6-0 within the closing. Swiatek gained the final eight video games and dropped solely 21 in six matches. She’s produced 23 6-0 units in WTA 1000 occasions — an outstanding 11.2 p.c success price.
“I keep in mind all the things, truthfully,” Swiatek stated of that 2022 run. “It was fairly loopy. I’m fairly happy with the best way I tailored to all these challenges that I needed to face. First changing into World No. 1, then really feeling comfy with it and utilizing it on court docket and being the goal of many gamers that wished to beat significantly me.”
The 2022 win within the desert got here early in a 37-match win streak that included the title on the Miami Open. Swiatek scored the coveted Sunshine Double, beating Coco Gauff, Petra Kvitova, Jessica Pegula and Naomi Osaka in her final 4 matches. She’s in place to do it once more when main-draw play opens this week.
She’ll play the winner of Camila Giorgi-Magdalena Frech within the second spherical and, if she advances, Linda Noskova for the third time this yr. Noskova , a 19-year-old from the Czech Republic, upset Swiatek within the third spherical of the Australian Open earlier than dropping to her at Indian Wells.
Listed below are another distinguished Miami storylines:
Tuesday’s schedule
The Miami Open could not have requested for a extra spectacular begin than this. Feast your eyes on the star-studded matchups scheduled for Day 1 in Miami:
Seven-time main champion Venus Williams performs Diana Shnaider.
Caroline Wozniacki, a quarterfinalist at Indian Wells, meets Clara Burel.
Emma Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion, faces Wang Xiyu.
Simona Halep, returning for the primary time for the reason that 2022 US Open, performs Paula Badosa.
Talking of Halep …
The 2-time Grand Slam champion is again after successful an attraction over a doping suspension.
She promptly accepted a wild card into the Miami Open and has been training on website for almost every week now.
Halep’s final match got here 18 months in the past on the 2022 US Open. The Miami draw was not significantly form. Halep meets Paula Badosa within the first spherical, with the winner getting No.2 Aryna Sabalenka within the second.
Which begs the query …
Can Sabalenka pull it collectively?
She left Australia in January with a second consecutive Australian Open title, a closing in Brisbane and a report of 11-1.
Since then, she’s 2-2. Sabalenka misplaced her solely match within the Center East to Donna Vekic and by no means gained any actual traction in Indian Wells. She struggled to beat Peyton Stearns in a second-round match that featured two tiebreaks and was pushed by Emma Raducanu within the third spherical. Emma Navarro bested her within the quarterfinals 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.
In 5 earlier Miami tournaments, Sabalenka has by no means been previous the quarterfinals.
How will Rybakina fare?
The 24-year-old from Kazakhstan has gained 17 of her 20 matches this yr and has a title (Abu Dhabi) and a WTA 1000 closing (Doha).
However since then, Rybakina granted a walkover to Jasmine Paolini within the Dubai quarterfinals — and withdrew earlier than she performed a single match in Indian Wells.
A yr in the past, she misplaced a memorable Miami closing to Petra Kvitova, 7-6 (14), 6-2.
Will Jabeur take steps in the appropriate route?
She’s been to a few main finals previously two calendar years, however it’s been gradual going for the affable Jabeur in 2024.
After dropping within the second spherical of the Australian Open, Jabeur went 1-2 in Abu Dhabi and Doha earlier than pulling out of Dubai with a continual knee damage. Her first match in Indian Wells resulted in defeat, by the hands of untamed card Katie Volynets.
Jabeur’s Miami report is 5-4. Final yr, she misplaced her first match to qualifier Varvar Gracheva.
Will Sakkari maintain it going?
She was 3-3 in her three earlier WTA 1000s however gained 5 straight earlier than falling to Swiatek. Clearly, Sakkari bought a pleasant bounce from the addition of coach David Witt to her crew. Beforehand, Witt had coached Pegula for greater than 4 years.
Sakkari’s greatest effort got here in a wild, rain-delayed 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-2 semifinal over Coco Gauff that required greater than 5 hours to finish. It’s in all probability the reminiscence she’ll take along with her going ahead.
“It’s what it’s proper now,” she stated of the loss to Swiatek. “I’m now already interested by Miami, not dropping first spherical once more as a result of I don’t have an excellent report the final couple of years after going deep right here.”