INDIAN WELLS – Momentum? Yes, it’s a factor.
The two winners of final month’s WTA 1000 occasions within the Middle East — Doha champion Karolina Muchova and Dubai champion Jessica Pegula — headline Wednesday’s WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz motion on the BNP Paribas Open.
The 4 Round of 16 matches from the underside half of the draw additionally characteristic Top 10 gamers Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina and Elina Svitolina.
The outlier — together with Sonay Kartal — is No. 44-ranked Katerina Siniakova, who scored an enormous upset on Monday when she knocked off defending champion Mirra Andreeva.
The profitable backhand on match level hit the online twine and trickled over.
“I was like, ‘Oh, is it on the other side?'” Siniakova advised reporters. “I imply, after all I’m joyful it went on the opposite facet. I needed to get pleasure from it, however positively I can’t say I’m not joyful.”
We are very happy to interrupt down Wednesday’s matches.
No. 2 Iga Swiatek vs. No. 13 Karolina Muchova
Head-to-head: 4-1, Swiatek. Their final assembly was a 6-1, 6-1 Swiatek win final 12 months at Indian Wells.
Muchova, a 6-0, 6-3 winner over Antonia Ruzic within the third spherical, has gained all 4 units she’s performed, though she was compelled to avoid wasting 4 match factors within the second spherical in opposition to Anna Bondar.
Swiatek downplayed her decisive margin in earlier matches.
“The head-to-head might be to my side,” she stated, “but I can remember all these matches I played against her. Sometimes I was down, like, break in [the] third, She’s an amazing player, and most of the times we played really tight matches.”
Count Swiatek as an enormous fan of Muchova’s various and stylish recreation.
“Honestly, I love playing against her,” Swiatek stated. “I also love watching Karolina. Yeah, it’s just nice to see someone who plays so smart and so smooth. She’s like woman’s Roger [Federer].”
No. 3 Elena Rybakina vs. Sonay Kartal
Head-to-head: 0-0.
Rybakina wasn’t at her finest in opposition to No. 28 Marta Kostyuk within the third spherical, however managed a 6-4, 6-4 win. That despatched her again into the Round of 16 for the second straight 12 months.
Her best weapon is the serve; Rybakina leads all WTA Tour gamers with 117.
Kartal was a 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 winner over No. 15 Madison Keys.
“I think she honestly just played really well, served really well, and I thought she used her forehand to dictate and move the ball around really well,” Keys stated afterward. “Felt like I played a really good first set, and then the conditions changed a little bit, and I felt like I kind of lost my footing a little bit.”
Kartal’s footing was exemplary. After she saved a match level within the second spherical in opposition to No. 20 Emma Navarro, Kartal rallied from a set all the way down to beat the 2025 Australian Open champion. Kartal finds herself within the BNP Paribas Open Round of 16 for the second consecutive 12 months.
No. 5 Jessica Pegula vs. No. 12 Belinda Bencic
Head-to-head: 4-0, Bencic. She has gained all eight units.
Pegula, down a set and a break, got here hurtling again to win the final 5 video games of the second set in opposition to No. 25 Jelena Ostapenko. Then she gained the decider handily for the 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 win.
Since the beginning of final season, Pegula has produced essentially the most comeback wins (13) of any WTA participant. Among lively gamers, solely Svitolina has claimed extra comeback wins (28) at WTA 1000 tournaments than Pegula (22).
After advancing, Pegula was requested about her two potential opponents — Bencic and Elise Mertens — in opposition to whom she is a mixed 1-8.
“Tough opponents,” Pegula stated. “People, to be honest, that I don’t have a great record against and I’ve actually really struggled against. That will be a challenge for me.”
The document in opposition to Bencic is 0-4, however these matches all got here between 2015-2023.
“I think I have become a much better player over the last six months,” Pegula added, “and I’m excited to kind of challenge myself to hopefully overcome either one of them who I know will be really tough. And they’ve also had some really good results here, as well.”
Since the flip of the century, solely Swiatek (125) and Aryna Sabalenka (109) have extra WTA 1000 match wins than Pegula’s 104.
Bencic, in the meantime, was a 6-2, 6-3 winner over Mertens. The 28-year-old mom has dropped solely 10 video games in 4 units.
This is Bencic’s tenth essential draw at Indian Wells. Since 2019, she’s compiled a 10-4 document right here, with runs to the semifinals (2019) and quarterfinals (2025).
No. 9 Elina Svitolina vs. Katerina Siniakova
Head-to-head: 4-0, Svitolina. The most up-to-date was a three-set victory two years in the past at Indian Wells.
After that sort web twine on match level, Siniakova sat in her changeover chair and sobbed right into a towel.
She had simply crushed No. 8 seed Andreeva, the defending champion, 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3 in 2 hours and 48 minutes. It was her first Top 10 win at a WTA 1000 in additional than two years, and her first comeback win over a Top 10 in additional than seven years.
Siniakova, who can also be enjoying doubles, stated she was exhausted and an optimum restoration will likely be vital.
“I will try to be ready,” she stated. “I did ice bath, physio, trying to rest. I have [doubles] match tomorrow, so yeah, I will try to make it fast, but definitely against Elina, it’s going to be another four-hours [long] match if I want to win.”
Svitolina, alternatively, was a reasonably routine 6-4, 6-2 winner over Ashlyn Krueger. She’s made some good runs right here, reaching the semifinals in 2019 and the quarterfinals a 12 months in the past.
