Zheng Qinwen makes her feelings known on Iga Swiatek clash at Indian Wells with Pole hunting for Olympics revenge
Zheng Qinwen, the World No. 9, defeated Marta Kostyuk in the fourth round at the Indian Wells to book her spot in the last eight of the tournament. She will face the defending champion, Iga Swiatek, in the quarterfinals.
Swiatek has been in phenomenal form this tournament. Having got a bye into the second round, the Polish superstar has only lost 6 games combined in the three matches she has played so far.
She blew away her recent victim, 15th seed Karolina Muchova, 6-1, 6-1. Her other two opponents in the previous rounds, Dayana Yastremska and Caroline Garcia, didn't fare much better. Winning all her matches in straight sets, that too with big margins, speaks volumes of the kind of form the World No. 2 is in.
Swiatek is eyeing her third title at Indian Wells, with the Chinese player standing as an obstacle in the quarterfinals. Zheng Qinwen has made her career-best appearance at Indian Wells this year, reaching the last eight for the first time. She is also yet to drop a set in the tournament.
After a bye in the first round, the eighth seed went past Victoria Azarenka and Lulu Sun in the second and third rounds respectively. 18th seed Marta Kostyuk was the latest player she beat, again in straight sets 6-3, 6-2.
After her win, Zheng Qinwen shared her feelings in an on-court interview regarding her showdown with Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals. She said:
“She or me both of us will give our best, because she won like really easy the first three matches at Indian Wells, so she’s in good shape. So, same as I, we’re gonna fight and let’s see what happens in the next match.”
The duo last met at the Paris Olympics, where Zheng defeated the Pole in the semifinals of the event 6-2, 7-5. That win marked the Chinese player's first victory against the five-time Grand Slam champion in their seven outings.
Both players are in red-hot form, making it a highly anticipated clash in the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open. Zheng will look to upset Swiatek once again, while the Pole will look to exact revenge for the Olympics.