Indian Wells Week 2: Swiatek chases history, Americans eye breakthrough
As the BNP Paribas Open rounds into Week 2, we break down the stories to watch as the players look to push toward the title and shake up the draw in the California desert.
Indian Wells: Draws | Scores | Order of play
Streaks on the line in Week 2:
Iga Swiatek View Profile : The two-time champion is riding an eight-match Indian Wells win streak, and she's won all 16 sets over that span. She'll face a tough test in the Round of 16 on Tuesday against Karolina Muchova View Profile , who remains the only player who has taken a set off Swiatek in a Roland Garros final.
Swiatek owns a 3-1 record over the Czech, including a win at the United Cup in January, but three of their four matches have gone the distance.
Madison Keys View Profile : Is the Australian Open champion ever going to lose again? Keys has not lost a match since her first tournament of the year in Auckland. After sweeping the titles in Adelaide and Melbourne, Keys has extended her win streak to 14 matches. It's the longest active win streak on tour. After holding off Elise Mertens View Profile in three sets on Monday, she'll face either Emma Navarro View Profile or Donna Vekic View Profile in the Round of 16.
Jessica Pegula View Profile : Under Matthew McConaughey's watchful eye, Pegula picked up the title in Austin last week. She's rolled through her first two matches in Indian Wells to bring her win streak to seven. She's won all 14 sets she's played over that span.
Pegula will take on Elina Svitolina View Profile in the Round of 16, after the Ukranian knocked out Danielle Collins View Profile in the third round. The winner gets either 2023 champion Elena Rybakina View Profile or Mirra Andreeva View Profile in the quarterfinals.
Mirra Andreeva View Profile : The 17-year-old is the first player to win eight consecutive WTA 1000 matches before turning 18. That run started at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships last month, where she became the youngest WTA 1000 champion and scored wins over Swiatek and Rybakina along the way. To keep her eight-match win streak alive, she'll have to repeat the feat and beat Rybakina in the Round of 16.
Emma Navarro View Profile : The World No. 8 came through a thriller in her second-round opener against Sorana Cirstea View Profile . Coming off her title run in Merida last week, Navarro saved two match points to beat Cirstea and extend her current win streak to five.
The top half of the draw is wide open
The Round of 16 is set for the bottom half of the draw. The higher-ranked seeds have all made it to the fourth round bar one. The one "upset" wasn't much of one on form, with 23rd-seeded Elina Svitolina View Profile getting the better of 14th-seeded Danielle Collins View Profile in the third round.
But if the bottom half has been chalk, the top half is prime for either the struggling seeds to play into form or a Cinderella run. No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka View Profile and No. 3 Coco Gauff View Profile came through tough tests in their second-round openers. Sabalenka got past a tough test in McCartney Kessler and will not face a seeded opponent in her next two rounds.
Gauff overcame 21 double faults in a three-set win over Moyuka Uchijima View Profile that came down to a third-set tiebreak and avenged her semifinal loss to Maria Sakkari View Profile in the third round. Belinda Bencic View Profile or Diana Shnaider View Profile would be looming in the fourth round.
Bencic could be the Cinderella story. A champion in Abu Dhabi last month, the unseeded Swiss looked unplayable in her 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-1 win over Amanda Anisimova View Profile in the second round.
Of course, this could all go out the window if Keys continues to mow down her opponents. The World No. 5 has shown no signs of rust in her first tournament since the Australian Open.
Swiatek's bid for history continues
No woman has ever won Indian Wells three times. Swiatek's quest to change that remains intact. The defending champion has lost just four games across her first two matches, posting two 6-0 whitewashes along the way. Her draw could be as tough as they come. If the seeds hold, she would have to beat Muchova, Zheng Qinwen, Pegula or Rybakina and Sabalenka or Gauff to win the Baccarat trophy.
Despite all the pre-tournament talk of potentially faster conditions this year, the court has continued to play right into Swiatek's hands. With cooler conditions forecast for Week 2, the slow and high-bouncing court will certainly help her cause.
Americans bid to end a 24-year drought
The last American woman to win Indian Wells was Serena Williams in 2001. The home hopes have done everything they can to improve their odds of ending the dry spell. For the first time since 2003, four American women are ranked in the Hologic WTA Tour Top 10 and all four -- Gauff, Pegula, Keys and Navarro -- have made it to the second week.
Keep an eye on the weather report
No tournament sees more variable atmospheric conditions than Indian Wells. Whether it's the extreme temperature difference between day and night or the swirling winds that can wreak havoc on matches, you never know what to expect. This year, the forecast shows spells of heavy rain this week, which could impact scheduling. Look for the cooler conditions to favor the defenders.
