November 22, 2024

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Iga Swiatek sweeps Maria Sakkari in the final to win her second Indian Wells title

Iga Swiatek sweeps Maria Sakkari in the final to win her second Indian Wells title

Iga Swiatek beat Maria Sakkari to win the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells on Sunday in a match that was close at times but was never in doubt for the world number one.

Swiatek won 6-4, 6-0, defeating Greece's most successful player with the clear efficiency that has become her trademark. And Swiatek being Swiatek, at least one set win came from pure dominance — a second set of “bread” in the score that often adds an exclamation point to many of her victories.

For Swiatek, the victory gave her her second title at Indian Wells, considered by many in the tennis world to be the most important tournament outside the Grand Slam. It is certainly the most important hard court tournament outside of the Grand Slams, partly because it is one of only two mixed events that pay equal prize money.

For Sakkari, the loss was a disappointment but also a big step in turning around a career that had started going in the wrong direction after climbing to the top five two years ago. Just last week she started with a new coach, David Witt, who has previously trained Venus Williams and Jessica Pegula to great success, after years of working with her close friend Tom Hill. She's also working with Ben Crowe now, a mindset expert who was one of those behind Ash Barty's success.

But that wasn't enough to overcome Swiatek, which was simply too overwhelming once it took off, as it often does, like a freight train rolling down a hill. Sakkari struggled to pick up points in the second set and Swiatek secured the title when Sakkari's final shot went wide.

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Swiatek now moves on to the Miami Open, where she will attempt to achieve the so-called “Sunshine Double” she won in 2022, when she first claimed the top spot in the world rankings. It's been there for the past few weeks since then.

(Free/TBN/Getty Images)