Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA
Iga Swiatek vs Marta Kostyuk: Indian Wells Masters – Semifinal
Iga Swiatek and Marta Kostyuk will face each other in the Indian Wells semifinal on Friday.
Iga Swiatek Profile
Iga Swiatek is the No. 1 player in the world and has an 18-2 record so far in the season.
The Polish had an easy task in the quarterfinal as former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki retired in the second set. Previously, Swiatek went past Yulia Putintseva, Lidia Noskova, and Danielle Collins.
Last week, Swiatek lost to Anna Kalinskaya in the semifinals in Dubai after she won the tournament in Doha.
This is her fifth appearance in Indian Wells, and she is going for her second title after winning in 2022.
Marta Kostyuk Profile
Marta Kostyuk is ranked 32nd in the world, four spots lower than her career high. The Ukrainian is 15-5 for the season, with all of her matches being played on hard surfaces.
Kostyuk is coming off a 6-0, 7-5 quarterfinal win over Anastasia Potapova. Previously in the tournament, she defeated Anastasia Pavlychenkova, Marketa Vondrousova, and Mai Hontama.
Last week, Kostyuk lost in the final in San Diego to Katie Boultier. She also made it to the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, losing to Coco Gauff.
This is her fourth appearance in Indian Wells and the first time to move past the second round.
Head-to-Head Swiatek leads 1-0
- Swiatek vs Kostyuk 6-3, 6-4 (2021 French Open, round of 16)
Prediction and Conclusion
Both players are having an excellent start to the season. Swiatek has been on top of the women’s tennis scene in recent years, while Kostyuk is one of the rising stars on the tour. The Ukrainian won her first WTA title last year in Austin and is expected to play a major role in the big tournaments this season. There is no doubt that Swiatek is still the best player in the world and has won 90% of her matches this year. However, Kostyuk is ready for the challenge and will have a chance in this match. Therefore, we are going with Kostyuk to cover the +6.5 games spread.
