Defending champion Iga Swiatek crushed Dayana Yastremska 6-0 6-2 and 2023 champion Elena Rybakina powered past Britain’s Katie Boulter 6-0 7-5 to reach the fourth round of Indian Wells on Sunday with displays of dominance.
Swiatek, seeded second, is aiming to become the first woman to win the tournament three times and the Polish player looked eager to do so in as little time on court as possible, reeling off 10 games in a row and needing just 65 minutes to see off her Ukrainian opponent.
“At the end I got a bit tired, it’s always hard to finish a match like that but I’m happy that I kept my intensity up in the last game to close it,” she said.
“I had control from the beginning so I’m happy with the performance for sure.”
It was Swiatek’s second bagel set of the tournament after she overwhelmed Caroline Garcia 6-2 6-0 in her first match.
The five-times major champion has not won a title since her triumph at Roland Garros in 2024, her longest drought since winning her first major title in 2020.
She served a one-month suspension in October for a failed drug test and has seen Aryna Sabalenka take her world number one ranking but said the California desert is an ideal setting to get back to winning ways.
“It’s amazing, I love coming here,” she said.
“I already have my routine so it feels like home. It’s for sure the place to be and a great place to play tennis.”
Swiatek will face 15th seed Karolina Muchova in the round of 16 after the Czech player beat her compatriot Katerina Siniakova in the afternoon.
After cruising through the first set, Rybakina fell behind 5-3 in the second before regrouping.
She stretched to hit a sensational defensive shot in a game where she broke back for 5-5 and broke again on match point to seal the win.
Rybakina, who missed last year’s tournament due to an illness, will play ninth-seeded teenager Mirra Andreeva in a rematch of their Dubai semi-final, which the Russian won in three sets en route to becoming the youngest player to win a WTA 1000 title.
Andreeva is coached by former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez, who the 17-year-old said was keeping her focused.
“She already told me that she booked a court at 12 p.m.,” she told reporters after her night match. “I see not much time passed from the match… she’s just like this, but it’s not bad.”
Ukrainian Elina Svitolina upset 14th seed Danielle Collins 6-2 6-4 and will face another American, fourth seed Jessica Pegula in the next round after she breezed past China’s Wang Xinyu 6-2 6-1.
–Reuters
