The world No 1 Iga Swiatek beat the Greek ninth seed Maria Sakkari 6-4, 6-0 for her biggest win of the year so far and 19th in total
Iga Swiatek continued to distance herself from all rivals at the top of the WTA tour as she clinched the Indian Wells title for a second time by dominating Maria Sakkari, the ninth seed, 6-4, 6-0. It is the world No 1’s second WTA 1000 title of the year after she won in Doha last month.
No player on the WTA has swept up significant titles at this rate since Serena Williams was ranked No 1. The 22‑year‑old has now won eight WTA 1000 titles alongside her four grand slam titles and first WTA Finals victory last year, with 19 titles overall. Her imperious record in finals also endures; since losing her first in 2019, she has now won 19 of her past 22.Over the last few decades, a strong measure of sustained greatness is whether a player has won 80% of their matches.
Not only is the Pole winning significant titles so often and playing with consistency, these dominant, lopsided results have become common in her matches. With her pace and weight of shot off both wings, her smothering returning and athleticism, many of the best players in the world haveAs is often the case in finals, Swiatek started the match eviscerating the ball and lasering winners from all parts of the court and Sakkari initially did extremely well to hang with her.
From 4-4 in the opening set, though, Swiatek reestablished her baseline dominance, raising her level again and she blazed through the next eight games to take the title.Despite how she was outplayed in the final on Sunday afternoon, this remains an excellent tournament for Sakkari. In recent months the Greek has been devoid of self-belief on the court and her career seemed to have stagnated.