The world number one beats Ukrainian Kostyuk in the semifinals 6-2, 6-1. Sakkari overcomes Gauff’s fightback for a 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-2 victory. Top-seeded Iga Swiatek will face Maria Sakkari in the Indian Wells women’s final after delivering a near flawless performance to defeat Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk 6-2, 6-1.
Sakkari had a tougher battle, having to fend off a fightback from Coco Gauff to secure her place in the final with a 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-2 win in a lengthy, rain-interrupted contest. The final between Swiatek and Sakkari will be a rematch of the 2022 showdown when the current world number one claimed the Indian Wells trophy for the first time. Swiatek made her intentions clear early against Kostyuk with an aggressive start, breaking for a 2-1 lead. She further pulled away as Kostyuk committed a double fault two games later, ending the first set in 31 minutes. The 21-year-old Kostyuk was challenged again by Swiatek early in the second set, with a powerful smash at the net giving Swiatek another break. The four-time Grand Slam winner weathered some pressure from the 31st seed in the following games before building a 3-0 advantage. Kostyuk appeared to struggle with an issue in her left foot, and a medical timeout only delayed the inevitable as Swiatek raced to a WTA Tour-leading 19th match win of the season, closing out the match with a forehand winner. “I’m definitely satisfied with the performance. I think it was the cleanest match I’ve played here. It’s already a great tournament,” said Swiatek.
In the second semifinal, US Open champion Gauff broke Sakkari’s serve early, but the number 9 fought back and won the first set, interrupted by a brief rain delay, 6-4. A long break due to weather delayed the start of the second set, and Sakkari was quickest to adapt after the resumption, breaking Gauff twice to lead 5-2. However, Sakkari couldn’t serve out the match, despite having a match point, as Gauff broke back and won the set in a tiebreak. Gauff broke again early in the third set, but Sakkari fought back, winning four games in a row to regain control. This time, Sakkari was able to finish the job, breaking Gauff once more to complete the victory after two hours and 41 minutes on court.
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