Tennis: Swiatek battles past Andreescu to set up Raducanu clash
Sign up now: Get the biggest sports news in your inbox
Iga Swiatek hitting a shot against Bianca Andreescu in her third round match at Indian Wells.
PHOTO: REUTERS
INDIAN WELLS – World No. 1 Iga Swiatek admitted that she is still prone to moments of chaos during matches.
But she is pleased with the way she is able to overcome them, following her hard-fought victory over Bianca Andreescu on Monday to reach the fourth round at Indian Wells.
Swiatek rallied from 2-4 down in the second set and staved off a late comeback attempt from the Canadian former champion to seal a 6-3, 7-6 (7-1) win. She will next meet Briton Emma Raducanu.
The top seed said she had hoped before the tournament began that she would face “stressful moments” and that she was happy with how she had got through them.
“Well, most of the times I feel like I have improved, but there are some matches where I feel like a little bit in chaos, and I don’t know which way to go that it’s going to work,” the Pole said.
“But honestly, it’s not happening often. In more cases I kind of choose the right solution, and then I’m playing better. Then the momentum changes and I just go with the flow.”
Swiatek is seeking to be the second woman, after Martina Navratilova in 1990-91, to win back-to-back Indian Wells titles.
Standing in her way is the unseeded Raducanu – sidelined by injuries and illnesses that have sidelined her since the Australian Open – who beat 13th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-1, 2-6, 6-4.
The victory was the Briton’s best by ranking since her surprise Flushing Meadows title in 2021, and just the second time since that US Open run she has strung together three consecutive match wins.
Swiatek beat Raducanu in straight sets the last time they met, on the claycourts of Stuttgart in 2022.
“I think after Stuttgart, I just know how her shots feel on the racket, because before I haven’t even practised with her,” Swiatek added.
“So it helps that way. But, on the other hand, it’s great because we’re playing on hardcourt, and there it was clay, but actually this surface is slower. I have to really take care of tactics anyway, and we’ll see. Honestly, every day is different.”
Reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina also punched her ticket to the fourth round with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over former champion Paula Badosa.
Rybakina, ranked 10th in the world after a runner-up finish to Aryna Sabalenka at the Australian Open, had lost her last three matches against Badosa.
The Kazakh, who will next take on Russian Varvara Gracheva, said the slow Indian Wells courts coupled with some gusty winds made for difficult conditions.
“Today the ball was flying much more,” she said. “But I’m trying to adapt. For now it was successful.”
Men’s defending champion Taylor Fritz also said the winds required a different approach from each side of the net, but the American adapted admirably in a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Argentina’s Sebastian Baez.
“The wind is definitely tough to deal with,” said the fourth seed. “On one side you have to hit the ball a lot harder to just get it over the net.
“And then on the other side it’s a little tougher to go big because it’s pretty easy to send it long.”
Taylor Fritz in action against Sebastian Baez at Indian Wells.
Fritz kept the 35th-ranked Baez under constant pressure throughout, breaking him six times to set up a round-of-16 meeting with Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics.
It was the end of the road for Andy Murray, who lost 7-6 (8-6), 6-2 to fellow Briton Jack Draper.
Up next for Draper is Carlos Alcaraz, after the top seed beat Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 to secure his 100th Tour-level victory.
“I’m really proud to get my 100th win and I hope it’s the first 100 of many,” said the Spaniard, who can return to No. 1 in the world with a third Masters 1000 triumph.
Swiss Stan Wawrinka, 37, advanced with a 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 7-5 upset of Demark’s seventh seed Holger Rune. REUTERS, AFP