Indian Wells – Iga Swiatek has won the Tennis Masters in Indian Wells and moved up to second place in the world rankings. The 20-year-old Pole beat Maria Sakkari of Greece 6-4, 6-1 in the final on Sunday.
For Swiatek, who beat Angelique Kerber in the last 16, it is her fifth title on the WTA Tour and her first at the Masters in the Californian desert. She had only won the Masters in Doha in February.
“To win after already playing so well in Doha gives me a lot of confidence and belief that I can do it,” Swiatek said. “I didn’t think I was someone who was ready for two tournament wins in a row. “
Her biggest success so far was first place at the 2020 French Open, and she reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open in January. The win over Sakkari in just 80 minutes was Swiatek’s 11th straight victory on the WTA Tour.
On her new world ranking, Swiatek said, “It’s pretty unreal, I have to look at it and check the list and see it.” She said she wants to climb even higher because “I feel like number one is getting closer and closer”. The spot at the top is held by Ashleigh Barty of Australia. Sakkari climbed from sixth to third despite losing the final.
