Iga Swiatek rolls over Qinwen Zheng into Indian Wells semifinal

Iga Swiatek defeated Qinwen Zheng in straight sets at Indian Wells.

Iga Swiatek defeated Qinwen Zheng in the quarterfinal of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Tennis fans were treated to a highly anticipated match early on Thursday afternoon. The two-seed Iga Swiatek took on eight-seed Qinwen Zheng in the quarterfinal of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.

It was their first meeting since Zheng upset Swiatek on the clay courts of Paris at the 2024 Summer Olympics. Also, it was her only win against Swiatek in five attempts.

However, Swiatek would get her revenge today. Swiatek took down Zheng in straight sets: 6-3, 6-3.

Swiatek Strikes ⚡️@iga_swiatek | #TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/O9XIuoO2kS

— wta (@WTA) March 13, 2025

Swiatek looked ultra-sharp throughout the match, pouncing on every opportunity. Meanwhile, Zheng grew frustrated with the windy conditions and the inability to capitalize on service games.

Zheng hit three aces and double-faulted three times. Swiatek hit one ace and two double faults. However, Swiatek was 5/5 on break points to Zheng's 2/5 on break points.

More: Qinwen Zheng explained what is going on with her elbow sleeve and absent physiotherapist.

Zheng's previous three matches were all played late at night in the desert. Conversely, Swiatek's three matches were early in the day with conditions similar to today's—wind, rain, and lots of bounce on the ball.

Iga Swiatek triumphs over Zheng Qinwen in a Gold Medal rematch. ⚔️

The defending champion is currently on a ten match win streak in Indian Wells. 👏#TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/vsAhYgRBac

— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) March 13, 2025

Swiatek said after the match, "At the end, it got really windy. Which made it super tricky, especially when the conditions change during the match. You need to adjust quickly, and it's not that easy."

Swiatek admitted, "It was a weird match with all the breaks. But I wanted to be composed and really focused. I'm glad I did that."

Swiatek is the World No. 2 with a record of 18-4. She faces the winner of Elina Svitolina and Mirra Andreeva in the semifinal tomorrow. The Polish star is two wins away from repeating as champion at Indian Wells.

Zheng will now prepare for the Miami Open next week. She is currently the World No. 9 with a record of 4-4. Tennis fans can follow Sports Illustrated's Serve on SIfor all the most important news from the sport.

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