Two-time champion Iga Swiatek delivered a dominant performance, crushing Czech Karolina Muchova 6-1, 6-1 to secure her place in the Indian Wells quarter-finals on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Danish 12th seed Holger Rune defeated Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-4 to advance to the final eight in the men’s draw.
Swiatek has been unstoppable in the tournament, conceding just six games across three matches. After a rain delay, she took control early, racing through the first four games and winning all her first-serve points in the opening set. Muchova, who made a deep run at last year’s U.S. Open following wrist surgery, struggled to find her rhythm in the second set as unforced errors mounted. Swiatek sealed the victory in just 57 minutes with an unreturnable serve. She will next face either Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen of China or Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk, who were set to conclude the night session.
“From the beginning, I felt like I could take control, and I didn’t make many mistakes early on. I just wanted to prevent Karo from settling into her game,” Swiatek said. “I’m happy I maintained that focus until the end.”
Elsewhere, Ukrainian 23rd seed Elina Svitolina pushed fourth seed Jessica Pegula to a deciding set before rain suspended play, with Svitolina leading 1-0 in the final set.
In the men’s draw, Rune played an aggressive match to snap Tsitsipas’ seven-match winning streak, securing his ninth Masters 1000 quarter-final. The Dane produced a highlight-reel moment in the second set, saving a break point with a spectacular ‘tweener’ shot from behind the baseline that Tsitsipas couldn’t retrieve.
“I stuck to my game plan and stayed mentally strong. That was the key difference. Stef is back in form, so it was a great battle,” Rune said.
Rune will next face Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor, who defeated Japanese qualifier Yosuke Watanuki 7-6(4), 6-1 to reach his first Masters 1000 quarter-final.
Tuesday’s evening session featured an exciting clash between American Tommy Paul and fifth seed Daniil Medvedev, with the night concluding with the match between Zheng Qinwen and Marta Kostyuk.
[source: reuters]
