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Top seed Iga Swiatek has no qualms about the quality of Elena Rybakina ahead of the pair's Indian Wells semifinals on Friday (March 17).
Swiatek has been on a roll in the Californian desert, dropping just 19 games in four matches, including five in her quarterfinal win over Sorana Cirstea on Thursday (March 16). She's now 16-3 on the season, with all her wins coming in straight sets.
Meanwhile, reigning Wimbledon champion Rybakina - who reached the Australian Open final this year - is quietly having an impressive campaign of her own. She has dropped just one set in four matches to reach her first WTA 1000 semifinal.
Ahead of her third meeting with the Kazakh, Swiatek admitted in her post-match press conference that Rybakina exudes quality and would present a stern challenge. The The World No. 1 Pole, who lost her previous meeting with Rybakina at the Australian Open, said:
"Elena, I know she can play great tennis, I felt that on my racquet. I don't need any proof. I'll just be ready for tomorrow, and that's all."
Speaking about her performance against Cirstea, Swiatek expressed satisfaction with her level of play, saying:
"I think it was a pretty nice match for me. I feel like I'm playing better and better every match. Today I started both sets well, and it gave me a lot of confidence, and I felt like I can just put pressure and kind of leading most of the rallies."
Iga Swiatek is now two wins away from becoming the first woman since Martina Navratilova (1991) to defend their Indian Wells title.
Iga Swiatek explains her tennis evolution in the last 12 months
Iga Swiatek is coming off a banner 2022 season, winning a tour-high 67 matches and eight titles, including two Grand Slams and the Sunshine Double.
Considering her start to 2023, the 21-year-old looks poised for another dominant campaign, despite her early exit at the Australian Open. Having defended her Qatar Open title and falling in the Dubai final, Swiatek is now two wins away from going back-to-back at Indian Wells.
As for her growth and challenges in the last year, she said:
"Professionally, I think, I change a lot, because I'm in a totally different situation. I had to kind of grow up tennis-wise pretty quickly because I became World No. 1, and I had to handle that. Plus, winning two more slams was a dream come true but also a huge experience. But as a person, I think, I'm just growing up like a normal way."
Swiatek's last defeat in 2023 came against Barbora Krejcikova in the Dubai final.
