Photo credit: Tony Chang/Chang Photography
A brief sun shower paused play in the penultimate game of today’s quarterfinals.
Ultimately, Zheng Qinwen couldn’t stop the reign.
Reigning champion Iga Swiatek swept Zheng 6-3, 6-3 charging into her record fourth straight semifinal at Indian Wells.
It was Swiatek’s 10th consecutive victory in Tennis Paradise as she raised her BNP Paribas Open record to 22-2.
“For sure at the end it got really windy, which made it super tricky, especially when the conditions changed during the match,” Swiate told Andrew Krasny afterward. “I was happy I was pushing to the end. It was a weird match with all the breaks.
“I wanted to be composed and really focused and I’m glad I did it.”
The first woman to reach four Indian Wells semifinals in a row is two wins from becoming the first woman to capture three tournament titles in the desert.
Next up for Swiatek is 17-year-old Dubai champion Mirra Andreeva.
A streaking Andreeva scored her 10th straight win with a 7-5, 6-3 victor over 23rd-seeded Elina Svitolina.
The ninth-seeded Andreeva is the youngest woman to win 10 consecutive matches at the WTA 1000 level since the format's inception. Andreeva swept Swiatek 6-3, 6-3 in last month's Dubai quarterfinals.
"Mirra, yeah, on last tournament we played, so for sure there is a lot to analyze and to learn from," Swiatek said. "So yeah, I mean, honestly, I'm not overthinking it now."
Zheng took six games off Swiatek today, which is an achievement given the powerful Pole had only lost six games in three tournament wins—the fewest games permitted en route to the quarters since Hall of Famer Monica Seles 23 years ago.
Swiatek is the first player since Novak Djokovic in 2011 to allow 12 games or fewer en route to an Indian Wells semifinal.
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Scratch beneath the scoreline and Swiatek led 5-1 in both sets in a dominant display before permitting late breaks.
Overall, Swiatek was efficient converting all five break points, playing with more purpose and draining some sloppy errors.
This match was a rematch of the Paris Olympic semifinals. Facing a 0-4 second-set deficit, Zheng roared through seven of the last eight games shocking then No. 1 Swiatek 6-2, 7-5.
Playing with poise and power, Zheng made history reaching the gold-medal match in her Olympic debut. The 21-year-old Zheng was the first Chinese player to reach an Olympic final and she snapped Swiatek's 25-match Roland Garros winning streak to do it.
A committed Swiatek gained a measure of revenge today.
"For sure [the Olympic loss] does [intensity determination]. I want to show myself and everybody that I can do it, and I already, you know, knew before the Olympics match," Swiatek said. "I know now, but yeah, it's not nice to lose to anybody, so for sure you want to have a little, I don't know, like revenge, but it's nothing personal.
"I think every player has that against everybody who they lose before."
Sprinting corner to corner to place her towels in the towel box, Swiatek was a woman in motion even before this quarterfinal began.
Wearing a white sleeve wrapping her right arm from wrist to biceps, Zheng netted a forehand then double faulted away the opening break.
A sharp Swiatek clubbed a crosscourt forehand winner holding at 30 to back up the break for 3-0.
Winning a crackling 20-shot rally helped Zheng get on the board holding in the fourth game.
Two games later, Zheng blew a 40-love lead as Swiatek surged to her second break and a 5-1 lead.
The 2024 AO finalist Zheng began swinging more freely as she broke back in the seventh game then held at 15 cutting the gap to 3-5.
The five-time Grand Slam champion quelled the uprising, converting her first set point to serve out a one-set lead.
The Olympic gold-medal champion was getting beaten in forehand exchanges and could not summon the energy and urgency to match the fast-moving Swiatek.
The second seed again rallied from 40-love down on Zheng’s serve and when the Chinese pushed a putrid drop shot that barely reached the net, Swiatek broke to start the second set.
That break sparked a run that saw Swiatek soar through 10 consecutive points powering to a 6-3, 3-0 lead.
No. 8-seeded Zheng whipped an ace to hold for 1-4 then earned three break points in the sixth game. Swiatek swept a slick forehand drive volley winner to erase the third break point eventually wrapping an eight-minute hold for 5-1.
Though Zheng scored her second break for 3-5, Swiatek stormed through a love break point closing a 94-minute conquest on the WTA Finals finalist’s third double fault of the day.