Iga Swiatek (Twitter)
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek starts her Indian Wells campaign in the round of 64 against world No. 56 Claire Liu on Saturday.
The Polish star has already won 12 matches this season while having lost 3. She was ousted in the fourth round of the Australian Open by eventual runner-up Elena Rybakina. Swiatek came back strongly to win the Qatar Open for the second year in a row. In the finals, she defeated Jessica Pegula. The 21-year-old reached the finals in Dubai where she suffered an upset loss against Barbora Krejcikova.
Swiatek is the defending champion in Indian Wells. Last year, she got the better of Maria Sakkari in the final to win the title. Swiatek will once again start the tournament as a strong contender.
The 22-year-old has struggled for form this season. She played in the Dubai Tennis Championships before coming to play in the Dubai Tennis Championships. Liu reached the main draw after winning two rounds of qualifying. In the first round of the main draw, Liu went down to compatriot Shelby Rogers.
Liu began her Indian Wells campaign in the round of 128 by facing Anna Karolina Schmiedlova. The former managed to win a closely-contested first set before dominating proceedings in the second set. The match eventually ended 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 in favor of the American youngster. Last year in Indian Wells, Liu lost to Coco Gauff in the round of 64.
Iga Swiatek has a 1-0 lead in the head-to-head scoreline against Claire Liu. The Polish star defeated Liu in the qualifiers at the 2018 ASB Classic 3-6, 7-5, 6-2.
Prediction: Iga Swiatek to win in straight sets.
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