Iga Swiatek continued to distance herself from her rivals at the top of the WTA Tour by defeating ninth seed Maria Sakkari 6-4, 6-0 to win her second Indian Wells title. This is the world No. 1’s second WTA 1000 title this year, which she won in Doha last month.
Not since Serena Williams became No. 1 in the rankings has a player dominated WTA titles at this pace. The 22-year-old now has eight WTA 1000 titles and 19 wins, in addition to four Grand Slam titles and her first WTA Finals win last year. overall title. Her impressive record in the finals also endures. She has won 19 of her past 22 fights since her first loss in 2019.
Over the past few decades, a strong measure of sustained greatness has been whether a player won 80% of their games. Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal all fall within that marker, as do Maria Sharapova and Venus Williams until the later, less successful years of their careers. After Swiatek’s latest win, his tour-level win-loss record is now 216-53, or just 80 wins.
Not only does the Polish player frequently win important titles and play consistently, but these dominant and lopsided results have become commonplace in her matches.
Her speed and weight of shot from both wings, her suffocating returns and athleticism leave many of the world’s best players without an answer to her game when the game is in full flow. yeah.
As is often the case in finals, Swiatek started the match eviscerating the ball and lasering the winners from all parts of the court, and Sakkari hung with her very well at first. She managed to match Swiatek’s intensity, using her natural athleticism to chase as many balls as possible and put pressure on opponents by attacking from inside the baseline.
But from 4-4 in the first set, Swiatek re-established his baseline dominance and raised the bar again, storming through the next eight games to take the title.
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Despite losing in the final on Sunday afternoon, this is still a great tournament for Sakkari. In recent months, the Greek player has lost confidence on the court and his career has appeared to be at a standstill. She finally decided to part ways with Tom Hill, her long-time British coach, and enlisted the help of David Witt, with whom she recently parted ways with Jessica Pegula. Her progress in these two weeks is a testament to the fruits of her early collaboration.
