Iga Swiatek: Will world No. 1 become first repeat WTA winner at Indian Wells since Martina Navratilova in 1991?

Indian Wells is usually thought to be the most important match of the tennis season outdoors the Grand Slams and season-ending finals – so why has it been so unpredictable lately?

On the boys’s aspect there have been 5 completely different champions within the final 5 editions, together with Taylor Fritz in 2022 and Cameron Norrie in 2021, and on the ladies’s aspect there has not been a repeat winner since Martina Navratilova received back-to-back titles in 1990 and 1991.

That’s the longest streak and not using a repeat champion at a WTA 1000.

WTA Indian Wells

Unique: Swiatek has ‘goal on her again’ and is ‘nonetheless participant to beat’ says Evert

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The opposite WTA 1000 occasions haven’t had repeat winners since:

• Qatar Open: Iga Swiatek – 2022 and 2023
• Dubai Open: Elina Svitolina – 2017 and 2018
• Miami Open: Ashleigh Barty – 2020 and 2021
• Madrid Open: Simona Halep – 2016 and 2017
• Italian Open: Iga Swiatek – 2021 and 2022
• Canadian Open: Martina Hingis – 1999 and 2000
• Cincinnati Open: Serena Williams – 2014 and 2015
• Wuhan Open: Aryna Sabalenka – 2018 and 2019
• Beijing Open: No repeat winner since first staging in 2004

Not solely has there not been a repeat champion at Indian Wells for 30 years, however it’s a must to return to 2009 for the final time that the defending champion made subsequent yr’s remaining – Ana Ivanovic lacking out on a second consecutive Indian Wells title when she misplaced Vera Zvonareva.

It’s laborious to pin level why there hasn’t been a repeat winner since Navratilova.

Maybe Serena Williams would have ended that streak if she hadn’t boycotted the match for 14 years, after she and her sister Venus felt an “undercurrent of racism” there in 2001. Serena received Indian Wells in 1999 and 2001, whereas Kim Clijsters additionally received two years aside in 2003 and 2005.

Lindsay Davenport was probably the most constant performers at Indian Wells, successful the match twice and reaching 4 different finals, together with three in a row from 2003 to 2005, however she wasn’t a back-to-back champion.

The champions at Indian Wells during the last 5 years are:

• 2022: Iga Swiatek
• 2021: Paula Badosa
• 2020: Not held as a result of Covid-19 pandemic
• 2019: Bianca Andreescu
• 2018: Naomi Osaka

Swiatek seems a powerful favorite to finish the anticipate a repeat winner. It was at Indian Wells final yr the place Swiatek began to say her dominance on the WTA Tour. After beginning her 37-match successful streak on the Qatar Open, she got here by way of three successive three-set matches within the opening week at Indian Wells earlier than beating Madison Keys, Simona Halep and Maria Sakkari to say the title.

Swiatek appeared to be hitting prime gear within the Center East final month as she stormed to the title in Qatar after which swept to the ultimate in Dubai, the place she ran right into a red-hot Barbora Krejcikova.

Former French Open winner Krejcikova might be considered one of Swiatek’s most important rivals once more, together with Australian Open champion Sabalenka, world No. 3 Jessica Pegula, and Australian Open runner-up Elena Rybakina, who beat Swiatek of their final assembly in Melbourne.

How a lot will the situations go well with Swiatek towards energy hitters like Rybakina and Sabalenka? Indian Wells often has a number of the slower laborious courts amongst WTA 1000 occasions, however the balls fly rapidly by way of the dry desert air. Swiatek spoke final yr after her win over Angelique Kerber about it being “actually laborious to play winners” as a result of situations, however because the match went on she bought into her groove.

High 10 set sights on Swiatek’s No. 1 spot

This can be a massive month for Swiatek, who has 2,000 rating factors to defend as final yr’s winner at Indian Wells and the Miami Open.

Given her lead over world No. 2 Sabalenka is 4,485 factors, Swiatek can’t lose the world No. 1 spot after the Sunshine Double, however these under have a chance to shut the hole.

Not most of the prime 10 have a major quantity of factors to defend throughout Indian Wells and Miami.

Sabalenka misplaced within the second spherical at each tournaments final yr so solely has 20 factors mixed to defend, whereas Pegula and world No. 4 Ons Jabeur additionally didn’t win a match at Indian Wells in 2022.

Apart from Swiatek, Maria Sakkari has probably the most factors to defend over the Sunshine Double as she made the Indian Wells final yr.

WTA factors breakdown over Sunshine Double

• 1. Iga Swiatek: 2000 (1000 Indian Wells + 1000 Miami)
  2. Aryna Sabalenka: 20 (10 Indian Wells + 10 Miami)
  3. Jessica Pegula: 400 (10 Indian Wells + 390 Miami)
  4. Ons Jabeur: 130 (10 Indian Wells + 120 Miami)
  5. Caroline Garcia: 45 (35 Indian Wells + 10 Miami)
  6. Coco Gauff: 185 (65 Indian Wells + 120 Miami)
  7. Maria Sakkari: 660 (650 Indian Wells + 10 Miami)
  8. Daria Kasatkina: 75 (65 Indian Wells + 10 Miami)
  9. Belinda Bencic: 400 (10 Indian Wells + 390 Miami)
  10. Elena Rybakina: 280 (215 Indian Wells + 65 Miami)

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