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In 2022 and 2024, Iga Swiatek lifted the BNP Paribas Open trophy ahead of runner-up Maria Sakkari. This year, they are meeting in the third round already. While the Polish player has kept her spot among the elite few with a No. 2 rank, the Greek has slid off down to No. 34. Yet, in their last encounter in Doha, Sakkari walked away with the quarterfinal win, her first victory in the match-up in five years. Getting ready for their next encounter, she can look forward with a new touch of confidence.
Swiatek, a six time slam winner, was quick to analyze what went wrong in their three-set battle last month: “In Doha it was, for me, quite obvious why I lost. When I went off the court, I immediately knew what to improve. Technical-wise, I didn’t really prepare for some of the shots as I should. When we got back home, I really practiced hard.”
In addition to the physical part, the 24-year-old worked on the mental parts of her game too, “I played many longer rallies to not lose patience in the middle of it and really be able to grind, because against Maria, you need to be ready for a physical match.”
She reached the next stage of Indian Wells with a shaky victory over California native Kayla Day, 6-0 7-6(2).
Sakkari has been making changes to her serve and forehand since the off-season, working with coach Tom Hill. After the match Saturday, she told reporters: “I feel great from the baseline. It’s just a feeling that I haven’t felt in a long time. It started in the beginning of the season, a little bit more inconsistent, I would say. Then in Doha it just clicked.”
Austrian wildcard Lilli Tagger put those changes to the test in the second round, which the Greek won 7-5 6-0. The first set was hard fought, trying to figure out the 18-year-old she had never faced before, but once Sakkari figured her out, she made quick business of the second set.
The 30-year-old, who reached her career high No. 3 four years ago, previewed the upcoming rematch in plain terms: “I don’t know what she’s gonna try and do, but I know what I’m gonna do.”
The third-round match will be played Monday.
