Iga Swiatek, the top seed, will be competing against Maria Sakkari in the women’s final at Indian Wells. She delivered a nearly flawless performance, easily defeating Marta Kostyuk from Ukraine with a score of 6-2, 6-1.
Sakkari faced a tougher challenge, as she had to overcome a comeback from Coco Gauff in order to secure a spot in the final. She ultimately emerged victorious in a lengthy and rain-interrupted match with a final score of 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-2. The upcoming final between Swiatek and Sakkari will be a rematch of the 2022 showdown, where the world’s top-ranked player claimed the Indian Wells trophy for the first time.
Swiatek made her intentions clear early on against Kostyuk with an aggressive start to claim a break for a 2-1 lead. She pulled further away when Kostyuk hit a double fault two games later, wrapping up the opening set in 31 minutes.
21-year-old Kostyuk faced another challenge from Swiatek at the beginning of the second set. Swiatek gained another advantage with a strong smash at the net. Despite some pressure from the 31st seed, the four-time grand slam champion maintained a 3-0 lead.
Kostyuk seemed to encounter difficulties with a left foot injury and a medical break only temporarily paused the inevitable, as Swiatek effortlessly secured her 19th victory of the season on the WTA Tour. She sealed the match with a powerful forehand winner. “I am pleased with my performance. I believe it was the most flawless match I have played in this tournament. It’s already been an amazing experience,” Swiatek stated.
During the second semi-final match, Gauff, the US Open champion, took an early lead against Sakkari, but the No 9 seed was able to come back and win the first set with a score of 6-4, despite a brief rain delay. The start of the second set was delayed due to poor weather conditions, giving Sakkari an advantage when play resumed. She was able to break Gauff’s serve twice, putting her in the lead with a score of 5-2.
Sakkari was unable to successfully complete the match with her serve, despite having a match point. Gauff was able to break back and ultimately won the set in a tie break. In the third set, Gauff broke Sakkari’s serve at the beginning, but Sakkari persevered and won four consecutive games to regain control.
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Sakkari managed to finish the task this time, breaking Gauff once again to secure the victory after two hours and 41 minutes on the court.
