After emerging victorious in her opening match at the Indian Wells Open, Iga Swiatek will now face Maria Sakkari for the ninth time in her career in the third round.
The head-to-head between Swiatek and Sakkari is currently tied four apiece, though the match went the way of the latter the last time they clashed.
In the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open last month, the Greek star came back from a set down against the Pole to claim her first win in the rivalry since 2021.
Who will win Indian Wells in 2026?
Vote now!
Ahead of their rematch in Indian Wells, Swiatek suggested she knows exactly why she lost their Doha bout.
Iga Swiatek previews her match with Maria Sakkari in Indian Wells
In her post-match press conference after her second-round win, Swiatek said: “I think in Doha it was, for me, quite obvious why I lost, and immediately when I went off the court, I knew what to improve.
“Like technical-wise, I didn’t really prepare for some of the shots as I should. When we got back home, I really practiced hard.
Where do you think she will be ranked?
“Also, I played many, like, longer rallies to not lose patience in the middle of it and really be able to grind, because against Maria, you need to be ready for a physical match.
“Yeah, like, I want to really use these practices for the match and change that and be better at that, so we’ll see how it’s going to go.”
Iga Swiatek says if she still has fun when losing a tennis match
Asked if she still has fun playing tennis even when losing a match, Swiatek replied: “I think it depends on the player, but when I lose, I can’t have fun.
“Maybe it was when I was first year on tour, and I played against Naomi [Osaka], she was number one or number two, and I was, like, it was amazing that I lost. It was just amazing for me to be out there, you know.
But later on, when you get used to that, you don’t feel these… like, stadiums become your basic kind of place to work, you know.”
Swiatek is currently the world number two and is seeded second at the 2026 edition of the Indian Wells Open.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
