- Iga Swiatek defeated Yulia Putintseva.
- Swiatek advanced to the Indiana Wells quarterfinals.
- She will now face Anastasia Potapova.
Top seed Iga Swiatek dominated Yulia Putintseva with a 6-1 6-2 victory on Tuesday, securing her place in the quarter-finals of Indian Wells, where she is set to compete against former world number one Caroline Wozniacki.
Swiatek had a sluggish start and had to fend off four break points in the third game before taking command of the match. The Polish player swiftly advanced to a 5-1 lead, which resulted in a frustrated Putintseva throwing her racket to the ground, as she secured the first set in under 30 minutes.
Swiatek, the 2022 champion, also demonstrated her superiority over her Kazakh opponent in the second set, securing a decisive victory.
“I knew I had to keep my focus (in the second set), she was trying different stuff out there,” Swiatek commented, who lost her serve twice in the second set.
“But I just really wanted to play my game and focus on what I want to do. I’m glad I did that.”
Wozniacki, who returned to the tour last year after stepping away from the sport in 2020 to start a family, easily defeated fellow mother Angelique Kerber 6-4 6-2 earlier in the day.
“She’s a really experienced player,” Swiatek remarked about the 2011 champion. “I think she’s playing great after her maternity break, she was fighting to come back.
“I have huge respect. It’s going to be a nice match.”
Wozniacki expressed her excitement to extend her run at Indian Wells, having qualified for the quarters for the first time in four years.
“I’m just enjoying myself and I’m just thrilled I get another match in front of all of you guys,” she stated.
Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk comfortably defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4 6-1 and will next face Anastasia Potapova, who triumphed over Jasmine Paolini 7-5 0-6 6-3.
“It definitely helped that I played her (recently),” the 21-year-old Kostyuk, who made it to the Australian Open quarters in January for her best Grand Slam performance, told the Tennis Channel.
“The conditions were much better for my game here, the ball bounces much higher and it’s a bit warmer. I didn’t feel like I was in so much trouble like I did in San Diego.”
Potapova earned her spot in the quarter-finals of a Masters event with her win over Dubai champion Paolini, ending the Italian’s eight-match winning streak.
