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The blockbuster 2024 Indian Wells semifinal clash between Iga Swiatek and Marta Kostyuk had a special guest in attendance, Monica Seles.
Swiatek delivered a dominant performance, claiming a 6-2, 6-1 win in 69 minutes to reach her second Indian Wells final. The World No. 1 did not face a break point and recorded just six unforced errors to the Ukrainian's 23.
Monica Seles, who was in attendance for the Pole's commanding victory, enjoyed the action from the stands.
Seles, who triumphed at Indian Wells in 1992, made her way to the tournament for the second straight year, having caught Carlos Alcaraz's thrilling win over Felix Auger-Aliassime last year.
Meanwhile, Iga Swiatek will look to clinch her second Indian Wells title, having emerged victorious in 2022. The 22-year-old has looked in excellent form, reaching the final with commanding straight-sets wins over Danielle Collins, Linda Noskova and Yulia Putintseva.
Iga Swiatek to take on Coco Gauff or Maria Sakkari in Indian Wells final
Following her triumph over Marta Kostyuk, Swiatek will take on the winner of the match between Coco Gauff and Maria Sakkari in the Indian Wells final.
Swiatek has emerged victorious in nine of her 10 tour-level encounters with Gauff, including their most recent meeting in the group stage of the 2022 WTA Finals, which the Pole won 6-0, 7-5.
Meanwhile, Sakkari enjoys a 3-2 head-to-head record against the World No. 1. However, Swiatek triumphed in their most recent encounter in the 2022 Indian Wells final, winning 6-4, 6-1.
Coco Gauff will look to secure a dominant win over Maria Sakkari in the Indian Wells semifinal, as she recently expressed her desire to emulate Iga Swiatek with her scorelines.
Following her 6-0, 6-2 win over Elise Mertens in the fourth round of the WTA 1000 event, Gauff humorously outlined her efforts to win as many 6-0 sets as possible to create a "mini" counterpart to Swiatek's bakery.
"Honestly, I think I'm trying to get as many 6-0 sets as possible because we have Iga, who has the bakery. I can have a mini one," Gauff said in her post-match press conference.
The Pole's penchant for securing sets by a scoreline of 6-0 (a bagel) or 6-1 (a breadstick) has earned her the 'bakery' tag from the tennis community.
