Iga Swiatek has plans to further improve her serve after making a positive start at Indian Wells.
Swiatek received a bye into the second round of Indian Wells, where she defeated American qualifier Kayla Day 6-0, 7-6(7-2).
The Pole, who is the second seed at the WTA 1000 tournament, now faces 32nd seed Maria Sakkari in round three.
Ahead of that reunion in California, the six-time Grand Slam champion referenced her serve as her biggest focus for improvement right now.
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Iga Swiatek says improving her serve is ‘always the focus’
Speaking on Tennis Channel after beating Day, Swiatek said: “I think serve. It’s kind of always the focus.
“But yeah I’m trying to change some stuff when I’m not in tournaments.
“So yeah, I think that, and overall, getting back to the grind, so in tough moments I can be like a wall, because that’s how I always played, that’s how I won many tournaments.
“So I think this period of time I had after Doha, when I came back home and could really grind on the practice court, really helped.
“And I think in important moments it will give me confidence.”
| Kayla Day | Iga Swiatek | |
| 1 | Aces | 3 |
| 1 | Double faults | 7 |
| 56.4% 31/55 | 1st serve | 48.6% 34/70 |
| 58.1% 18/31 | 1st serve points won | 79.4% 27/34 |
| 33.3% 8/24 | 2nd serve points won | 47.2% 17/36 |
| 5 | Break points faced | 13 |
| 0% 0/5 | Break points saved | 84.6% 11/13 |
| 9 | Service games played | 9 |
From her 14 matches played in 2026 so far, Swiatek has won 68.7% of her service games, with first serve % and first serve won totals of 62.4% and 65.7% respectively.
Iga Swiatek seeks Indian Wells revenge against Maria Sakkari
Swiatek entered Indian Wells with a 9-4 record for the season, most recently losing to Sakkari at the Qatar Open.
The Greek star won their Doha quarterfinal 2-6, 6-4, 7-5, with Swiatek keeping her cards close to her chest when asked if she had some things in mind from that match for their upcoming clash.
“Yeah, for sure,” she said. “I mean, for me it was kind of obvious why I lost, I’m not going to get into the details now, but for sure I want to improve these things.
“When I went off the court in Doha, I knew exactly what I could have done better. So I’m going to try to do that the day after tomorrow.
“And for now, you know, recover well and enjoy Indian Wells. And, yeah, I’ll be back in two days to work as hard as possible to win the match.”
Where do you think she will be ranked?
Intriguingly, the pair cannot be separated ahead of their next meeting, each claiming four wins from their eight matches.
Swiatek is currently ranked behind only Aryna Sabalenka in the WTA rankings, while Sakkari recently dropped two places to 34th.
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