Swiatek powers into Indian Wells quarterfinals

Defending champion Iga Swiatek was home and dry at rainy Indian Wells on Tuesday, powering into the quarterfinals with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Karolina Muchova.

The world No 2 from Poland needed just 57 minutes to put away Muchova, who took her to three sets in the 2023 French Open final.

She didn't face a break point as for the third straight match she gave up just two games.

Swiatek, whose first four Indian Wells appearances yielded titles in 2022 and 2024, could become the first woman to lift the trophy three times – and join Martina Navratilova as the only woman to win back-to-back titles in the California desert.

She said the showers that delayed her match by 55 minutes were an extra spur to finish it quickly, especially after the rain came again near the end of the contest.

"On last two games, it was a bit slippery already, but I really wanted to finish," she said. "So I kind of played more risky, but the shots were still in.

"We both didn't run a lot – it was about the first serve and the first shot. I'm happy that I closed it, for sure, because I knew this big cloud is coming."

In other women's matches, 2023 champion Elena Rybakina faced 17-year-old Russian sensation Mirra Andreeva.

Andreeva beat the seventh-ranked former Wimbledon champion in the semifinals last month at Dubai on the way to becoming the youngest player to win a WTA 1000 tournament.

World No 4 Jessica Pegula of the United States was scheduled to take on Ukraine's Elina Svitolina and China's ninth-ranked Zheng Qinwen faces Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk.