Iga Swiatek
There was a time, Iga Swiatek admits, when coming to the BNP Paribas Open was not her favorite thing on the WTA schedule. The stage was perhaps too big, the crowds too large and the importance of the tournament too overwhelming.
That’s no longer the case for Swiatek, the No. 1 player in women’s tennis and an 18-time WTA winner, including the 2022 BNP Paribas Open.
The 22-year-old Swiatek looked every bit the No. 1 seed and comfortable on Stadium 1 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in opening her tournament with a 6-3, 6-0 win over American Danielle Collins. While Swiatek moves onto the third round of the women’s main draw, the loss might have been the last match for Collins in Indian Wells after she announced earlier this year she would retire at the end of 2024.
“When I was younger, I felt overwhelmed by all these fans and, you know, the courts are so big, even though it’s not a Grand Slam, and everybody is kind of more motivated and more pumped to practice,” Swiatek said. “So at first I felt that, but now I just take a lot of positive energy from everything that’s going on. You know, the tournament is taking care of us really nicely. And, I don’t know, I feel more comfortable kind of everywhere, because I just grew up and I got more experienced.”
Friday that experience showed as Swiatek fought off a determined Collins before racing away for the victory.
“I’m happy with the performance, especially how I used the important moments at the end of the first and second set,” Swiatek said. “Never easy to play first match on any stadium, here especially, because the conditions are a little bit more tricky. So I’m happy that I’m through.”
Cruising in the second set
The early part of the first set showed the fighting spirit of Collins, who split the first six games of the set and forced Swiatek to defend break points while playing multiple ad points in the games.
But the match turned away from Collins when Swiatek scored the first break of serve in the match to take a 5-3 lead, winning the game at love. After closing out the first set at 6-3, Swiatek then broke Collins in the first game of the second set and the match spiraled away from a visibly frustrated Collins after that.
Iga Swiatek managed two more breaks of serve in the set and Collins, struggling with her serve, wasn’t able to capitalize on a 40-15 lead in the final game as Swiatek moved into the third round.
For Swiatek, the win was the start of a charge to a possible second BNP Paribas Open title in three years.
For Collins, the match might have been her last in the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Collins, 30, announced earlier this year she will step away from tennis to get away from the spotlight and perhaps start a family. The American received plenty of support from the large crowd at Stadium 1 throughout the match and as she walked off the court after the loss.
Iga Swiatek comes to Indian Wells playing well, having won in Doha and reaching the semifinals in Dubai in her last two tournaments. Those results came after a disappointing round of 32 loss in the Australian Open. For now, Swiatek says she’s happy with her game and to be back in the Coachella Valley.
“Switching from being in Middle East where everything is so, like, peaceful, you’re just focusing on tennis, that’s it, and you have kind of the same rhythm every day, because they are starting the matches pretty late there and we only have WTA, so the schedule is pretty smooth, and then going here where there is so much fuss, you know, I think this is pretty tricky,” Swiatek said.
“But I know this place already, so it’s not a problem for me and the intensity is just tough,” Swiatek added. “But on the other hand I’m one of these players that can kind of cope physically. So that doesn’t worry me as well.”
