By Tony Fairbairn
- Iga Swiatek [1] v Marta Kostyuk [31]
- Coco Gauff [3] v Maria Sakkari [9]
INDIAN WELLS, USA – Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff look to overcome tricky semi-final obstacles as they bid for a place in the Indian Wells final.
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Iga Swiatek [1] v Marta Kostyuk [31] | H2H: Swiatek leads 1-0
Iga Swiatek has shown why she is the world number one this week as she has cruised into the Indian Wells semi-final. The Pole outlasted a quick start from Caroline Wozniacki and will now look to build momentum ahead of the clay court season as the world number one bids for a second Indian Wells title. Standing in Swiatek’s way of the final is Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk who is yet to drop a set in California having beaten Anastasia Potapova in the quarter-finals.
H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Iga Swiatek [1] v Marta Kostyuk [31] | H2H: Swiatek leads 1-0 |
| Indian Wells 2024 | Indian Wells, USA |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $325,000 |
| Third on Stadium One (Not before 23:00 GMT) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
Swiatek has been in impressive form in California having only dropped a total of ten games in her first three rounds with the Pole proving why she is the best player in the world.
Now Swiatek will look to avoid what she did in Dubai and that’s take her foot off the pedal in the semi-finals as she aims to win a second Indian Wells title.
Next for Swiatek is powerful Ukrainian Kostyuk with the 31st seed continuing to improve with every tournament as she has been very consistent in taking advantage of a favourable draw.
Now Kostyuk will aim for another landmark achievement in her young career as she bid for a first WTA 1000 final.
Speaking after her quarter-final with Wozniacki, Swiatek admitted winning by retirement isn’t a good feeling but was satisfied with her level in the first set.
“I’m hoping that Caroline will be better and she’ll be ready for Miami,” Swiatek told the WTA website.
“It’s not the best way to win. But I’m happy that I played well enough in first set to win it. For sure it was tight. At the beginning we had many longer rallies, so I felt like I needed to be solid and be ready. At the end I’m happy that I used the chances in the last games.”
As for Kostyuk, she is excited to play Swiatek in the semi-finals and revealed she practiced with Swiatek in Doha.
“I practiced with [Swiatek] in Doha, I was really looking forward to actually playing her in the match,” Kostyuk explained to the WTA website.
“I think it will be a great match. I don’t know what else to say, because I’m excited, and I played her in Paris three years ago, and it was a bit different match. We were both in different positions. Even more exciting now.”
Swiatek will look to use the forehand to open up space on the court as she will aim to force errors from Kostyuk.
Meanwhile the Ukrainian will look to play on the attack, approaching the net to put pressure on Swiatek’s transition game.
A fast start is important for Kostyuk if she wants to have any chance of winning this match as she will look to set the tempo of the match.
Swiatek’s power and precision might be too much for the Ukrainian but it will be a closer contest than many people expect.
Prediction: Swiatek in three sets.
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Coco Gauff [3] v Maria Sakkari [9] | H2H: Sakkari leads 4-3
It’s now 20 consecutive wins in America for Coco Gauff as the US Open champion cannot stop winning on home soil. After a first round scare against Clara Burel, Gauff has gone from strength to strength as she is now two wins away from her fourth consecutive title in America. Standing in Gauff’s way of the final is Maria Sakkari who grinded her way past Emma Navarro in three sets to reach her third consecutive Indian Wells semi-final.
H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Coco Gauff [3] v Maria Sakkari [9] | H2H: Sakkari leads 4-3 |
| Indian Wells 2024 | Indian Wells, USA |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $325,000 |
| Fourth on Stadium One (Not before 01:00 GMT) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
Gauff is continuing to display her dominance in America as it’s now 20 consecutive wins after a very tight opening round win.
Now Gauff searches for her fourth consecutive title on home soil as she looks to put pressure on the world’s top two players in the rankings.
Next for the American is a resurgent Sakkari who is into her third consecutive semi-final at Indian Wells after showing some resilient tennis in California.
It hasn’t been an easy season for Sakkari but now the Greek has a new coach and is looking to rebuild her game ahead of the clay court season.
Ahead of the semi-finals Gauff spoke about her game and the variety she has that has helped her to the last four at Indian Wells.
“I think for me, the difference is that I know if one part of my game is off, I have a lot of other tools I can rely on,” Gauff told the WTA website
Meanwhile Sakkari spoke about finding her form again and the challenge that Gauff poses.
“I’m just very happy that I’m finding form again and finding myself again,” Sakkari told the WTA website.
“When you play Coco, you have to accept that she’s going to get two, three more balls than anyone else. You just have to be patient. That’s what I did today in order to win today’s match (vs. Navarro). I just feel that’s my mindset going into tomorrow’s match against her.
“It’s nice to have girls that are actually athletic and fit. Then you feel like, Okay, it’s time to challenge myself and play against someone who is equally as fit as I am.”
Gauff will aim to be consistent on serve while dictating play on the forehand side using her power to test Sakkari’s athleticism.
Meanwhile Sakkari will aim to extend the rallies and use her backhand to create a mixture of depth and pace.
Just like their previous meetings this should be an entertaining contest with lots of momentum changes but Gauff’s confidence in America makes her slight favourite to win this match.
Prediction: Gauff in three sets.
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