'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Iga Swiatek gifted a signed match ball to a young fan after her victory against Marta Kostyuk in the semifinals at the 2024 Indian Wells Open.
Swiatek soared into the final at the Indian Wells with her victory against Kostyuk 6-2, 6-1. Maria Sakkari stands between the Pole and her second title in the Tennis Paradise.
The World No. 1 defeated Danielle Collins, Linda Noskova, Yulia Putintseva, and Caroline Wozniacki on her way to the semifinals. More impressively, she is yet to drop a set en route to the final.
After her victory against Kostyuk, Swiatek gifted a young fan a ball. She rushed towards the stands and threw a signed ball towards the young fan. The video was uploaded by a fan account "Out of Context Iga Swiatek" on X (formerly Twitter).
After the match, Swiatek spoke about her performance, mentioning that this was her cleanest match at the tournament.
"For sure I’m happy with the performance. I think it was the cleanest match I played here. The adjustment that I have made and yeah it’s already a great tournament. So I am really happy," Iga Swiatek said in her on-court interview.
The World No. 1 also thanked the crowd support and called it her home.
"Thank you guys thanks for the support. It's been amazing. I feel great atmosphere and really positive vibes from even the staff and the fans so yeah I feel home and I feel like I should be here the longest time possible and I am glad that I achieved that," Swiatek continued.
Iga Swiatek picks Steffi Graf for a dream dinner date
Among past and present tennis players, Iga Swiatek picked German legend Steffi Graf as her preferred dinner companion.
Swiatek said that she would like to imbibe Graf's mentality of handling her rise to the pinnacle of tennis.
"Well, her mentality and how she handled, you know, suddenly being the best player out there and how she felt with it personally," Swiatek said.
The Pole faced a similar sudden rise to the top when she became the World No. 1 in April 2022 when the then reigning World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty retired from tennis. She described her emotions in an article for Player's Tribune. Swiatek explained that her psychologist Daria told her about Barty's retirement.
"I didn’t understand at first. I was like, 'What? How is that possible??' And then I started crying. I was sobbing. I couldn’t stop crying. Honestly, it didn’t really have that much to do with potentially moving up in the ranking. It might sound strange, but I was so confused and shocked that Ash was 25, and she was retiring," Swiatek wrote.
