Tennis news today: Taylor Fritz snaps Rafael Nadal's winning streak to lift Indian Wells crown, Iga Swiatek wins women's title | 21 March 2022
Rafael Nadal's 20-match winning streak came to an end at the hands of Taylor Fritz in the final at Indian Wells on Sunday. Iga Swiatek, meanwhile, maintained her impeccable record in big finals, handing Maria Sakkari a comprehensive straight-sets defeat.
The women's draw for the upcoming Miami Open has been released, with some interesting clashes set to take place over the next fortnight.
Meanwhile, Serena and Venus Williams glammed it up at the PGA Awards, while Todd Woodbridge said he hoped Russian athletes could continue playing for now.
Here's a round-up of the day's biggest news.
Taylor Fritz hands Rafael Nadal first loss of the year in Indian Wells final
Rafael Nadal's unbeaten start to the year ended on Sunday when Taylor Fritz defeated him 6-3, 7-6(5) to win his maiden Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells. The Spaniard was hampered by a chest problem and had no answers to Fritz's challenge.
Nadal is set to skip the Miami Open and will return to action at the Monte-Carlo Masters in April.
Iga Swiatek wins 2nd consecutive WTA 1000 title
Iga Swiatek's strong season continued as she lifted the trophy at the Indian Wells Open. The Pole defeated Maria Sakkari 6-4, 6-1 to win her second WTA title on the trot, after triumphing at the Qatar Open last month. The victory saw her achieve a career-high ranking of World No. 2.
Iga Swiatek in big finals:
French Open: d. Kenin 6-4 6-1
Rome: d. Ka. Pliskova 6-0 6-0
Doha: d. Kontaveit 6-2 6-0
Indian Wells: d. Sakkari 6-4 6-1
1 GS, 3 WTA 1000s. 20 years old.
Is that good?
Iga Swiatek's performances in the title rounds of the big tournaments have simply been outstanding. She now heads to Miami for the next WTA 1000 event as the firm favorite to win the title.
The 2022 Miami Open women's draw is out
The Miami Open women's singles draw has been released and there are some exciting clashes in store. Three Indian Wells semifinalists - Iga Swiatek, Maria Sakkari and Paula Badosa - have been drawn in the same half.
Naomi Osaka faces Angelique Kerber in the second round, with the winner likely to take on Leylah Fernandez in the next round. The Canadian defeated both Osaka and Kerber en route to the US Open final last year. Simona Halep and Emma Raducanu could also meet in the third round.
Ashleigh Barty, Barbora Krejcikova and the Williams sisters are among the high-profile names who will miss the WTA 1000 event.
Venus and Serena Williams step up the style quotient at PGA Awards
Serena and Venus Williams recently joined Will Smith on the red carpet of the PGA Awards. The Williams sisters attended the event as the executive producers of the movie King Richard, a biopic based on the life of their father.
The movie has performed extremely well, with Smith's performance being universally praised and fetching him plenty of accolades.
Todd Woodbridge isn't in favor of banning Russian athletes
Amidst talks of Russian athletes facing a potential ban at Wimbledon, Todd Woodbridge has spoken out against such a policy being implemented. The former tennis pro worries that being too outspoken might cause the families of Russian athletes to "pay a price."
"That is such slippery and dangerous ground," Woodbridge said. "We all know they have families back in whatever part of Russia they are from, and you do not want to be on the wrong side of that, because your family will pay a price. It's an individual sport. I feel at this point we allow them to play. Andrey Rublev this week made it through to a semi final. It's really hard if we go down that line."