Swiatek blows away Sakkari to win windswept Indian Wells

Tuesday, 22 March 2022 02:36 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Iga Swiatek

REUTERS: Poland’s Iga Swiatek blew away Greece’s Maria Sakkari 6-4 6-1 to win a windswept Indian Wells final on Sunday and move up to number two in the world rankings.

Another windy day in the California desert made life miserable for both players, the gusts contributing to an uneven contest littered with nine breaks of serve.

The 20-year-old Swiatek claimed six of those breaks including two in a one-sided second set, clinching a second consecutive WTA 1000 title with a thundering forehand winner.

The title is the fifth of 2020 French Open champion Swiatek’s career.

“It’s pretty crazy because I wasn’t expecting to be in that place (final) especially after playing so well in the previous tournament; I didn’t know it was possible for me to play that well for that long,” said Swiatek, winner of the WTA 1000 event in Doha in February. “It was a different match, for sure, because of the conditions.

After losing her first three meetings with the Greek, Swiatek has now come out on top in the last two, with Sunday’s victory extending her WTA match-win streak to 11.