World No. 2 Iga Świątek eased past Karolína Muchová, 6-1, 6-1, to book a spot in the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells on Tuesday.
What looked to be a tricky match for the defending champion ended up appearing simple for the in-form Polish player.
Świątek was aggressive from the start against world No. 15 Muchová. After a brief rain delay, it took just under an hour to wrap-up the victory.
The 23-year-old was happy with how she limited mistakes and kept her focus through both sets.
“I just didn’t want to let Karo (Muchová) be able to start playing her game. And I’m happy that I did that ‘til the end,” Świątek reflected in her post-match press conference.
“I used my opportunities and I used my chances and I was pretty focused and composed today. It’s not easy, but I can imagine that it looks like it.”
The five-time grand slam singles champion won five break points and won 78% of service points. Terrifyingly for her future opponents, she quipped post-match that her serve is always a work in progress.
Świątek has now reached more quarterfinals in WTA 1000 events than any other player, according to Opta.
She has only lost six games in her opening three matches – having beaten Caroline Garcia and Dayana Yastremska in her first two rounds, respectively.
Świątek will now look ahead to her quarterfinal opponent, Zheng Qinwen. This will be the first clash between the two since Zheng knocked Świątek out in the semifinals of the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
“I need to learn from our last match and see how she plays right now,” Świątek said.
Before the Olympics upset, the Polish player had won all six of her matchups against the Chinese star.
Source: edition.cnn.com