INDIAN WELLS -- The backhand was well wide, but clipped the tape -- radically changing direction -- and dropped in for an unlikely winner. Iga Swiatek, who had just won her seventh straight game of the match, raised her hand.
Sorry, not sorry.
Sunday was that kind of day for Dayana Yastremska at the BNP Paribas Open. Swiatek skated off with a 6-0, 6-2 third-round victory in 65 minutes.
Yastremska, a victim of her over-aggressive groundstrokes -- and Swiatek’s consistent composure -- finally got on the board 53 minutes into the match when Swiatek’s backhand return sailed long. That ended Swiatek’s 10-game win streak.
Showing some grit, Yastremska rallied to win two service games before Swiatek served it out. The World No. 2 did not face a break point.
The champion here in 2022 and 2024, Swiatek is going for her third title -- something no woman has ever achieved. She gets the winner of the later match between No. 15 seed Karolina Muchova and Katerina Siniakova on Tuesday.
It’s a dry heat
Two hours before her match with Dayana Yastremska, Swiatek was on court in Stadium 1, working with her team. Coach Wim Fissette, racquet in hand, stood about 20 feet away, watching Swiatek lash groundstrokes from the baseline. After about 10 minutes, Swiatek wiped her perspiring face with the top of her white t-shirt.
No sweat, right?
The World No. 2 loves these desert courts and their high bounces -- comparable, some players say, to clay. At 23, Swiatek is already a four-time champion on the red clay of Roland Garros. Watching her cavort at Indian Wells feels like seeing otters splashing joyfully in a babbling brook.
It’s all about the RPM here, not necessarily the MPH. It’s an exceedingly spin-friendly environment.
“For sure, I feel like it makes it more visible, the topspin that I play,” Swiatek told reporters. “But I still have to play it. My game fits the surface here, yeah. The surface helps, but it’s not the only thing. You still need to do the job.”
Statistical mayhem
Speaking of which … It’s difficult to overstate Swiatek’s dominance in what is certainly her “Tennis Paradise.”
The numbers are beginning to verge on astounding:Swiatek is 20-2 at Indian Wells, a .909 winning percentage that is second only to Martina Navratilova’s pristine 10-0.
Of those 20 victories, 17 have come in straight sets -- a testament to Swiatek’s dominance here.
Since the format was introduced in 2009, Swiatek (.817, 103-23) only trails Serena Williams (.841, 148-28) for winning percentage at WTA 1000 events.
Only Victoria Azarenka (33) has registered more sets with a 6-0 scoreline in WTA 1000 events than Swiatek’s 31 since the format was introduced in 2009.
What does it feel like to be in the midst of a 6-0 run?
“I know that I'm in a good place and I’m going the right way,” Swiatek said. “So I feel pretty pumped up. But on the other hand, calm, because I don’t feel that I’m threatened.
“I know how it feels like. I don’t know how it looks, because I’m not even watching usually these matches where I played perfectly, because there is not much to change or analyze.”
Cookin’ with Iga
Friday, after winning her first match over Caroline Garcia, Swiatek revealed that she’s reading a book about cooking and embarking on some culinary experiments at her rented house. On Sunday, she offered an update, holding up a photo of the baked oatmeal with apple on her phone.
“Which looks better on picture,” she said, “than it tastes. I just needed to add a lot of yogurt. I know my friends tell me that I did it wrong, that I should have blended the oats before but I didn’t. I don't know, I’ll have to try again probably.”
The pasta with tuna and lemon sauces sounded more successful.
“It was, at the end, pretty great,” Swiatek said. “It’s not on a level yet to be a hobby. I’m just trying things out because I have a good kitchen here. Usually I’m too lazy to do that or I don’t have time. It’s just because I’m a bit bored.”
Karolina Muchova next for Iga, the first real test of the tournament I think.
Muchova's level hasn't been as high as when they've previously faced one anther, but she'll still be able to give Iga a big challenge, one I'm confident Iga will be able to meet.
Should be a high quality match, really looking forward to it.
Jazda!
