Swiatek races into Indian Wells 3rd round

World number one Iga Swiatek launched her bid for a rare Indian Wells title repeat with a convincing 6-0, 6-1 second-round victory over 56th-ranked American Claire Liu on Saturday. Neither Liu nor the breezy conditions on Stadium Court troubled Swiatek, who is seeking to become just the second woman — after Martina Navratilova in 1990-91 — to successfully defend her title at the prestigious combined WTA and ATP Masters 1000 hard court tournament. Swiatek roared through the first set, winning 25 of 32 points. She didn’t have things quite so much her own way in the second. She never faced a break point, but Liu did manage to save a match point as she finally held serve in the penultimate game.