By Tony Fairbairn
- Iga Swiatek [2] v Caroline Garcia
- Alexander Zverev [1] v Tallon Griekspoor
- Qinwen Zheng [8] v Victoria Azarenka
INDIAN WELLS, USA – Iga Swiatek begins her quest for a third consecutive Indian Wells title against Caroline Garcia as the second round action begins in California.
Iga Swiatek [2] v Caroline Garcia H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Iga Swiatek [2] v Caroline Garcia | H2H: Swiatek leads 4-1 |
| Indian Wells 2025 | Indian Wells, USA |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $35,260 |
| Third on Stadium One (Not before 21:00 GMT) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
After a consistent swing in the Middle East, Iga Swiatek is ready to defend her Indian Wells title once again. The Pole went deep in both Doha and Dubai but failed to win either title which would have been a tough pill to swallow. However, the world number two will turn her attention to California as she bids for a third consecutive title and her first trophy in 2025, aiming to keep up the pressure on world number one Aryna Sabalenka.
A familiar foe awaits Swiatek in the second round in the form of Caroline Garcia with this being their sixth career meeting. The world number 71 took a mental health break towards the end of the last year as she has voiced her opinions over abuse on social media platforms. However the break hasn’t worked in Garcia’s favour, losing four of her six matches this season. Now Garcia aims to build some confidence as she looks to find her best tennis ahead of the clay court season.
Swiatek is aiming to be aggressive on serve as she will use the forehand to neutralise Garcia’s baseline power. Meanwhile Garcia will look to be consistent on first serve and finish points off at the net. This will be a decent first test for Swiatek but the Pole should cruise past a vulnerable Garcia.
Prediction: Swiatek in straight sets.
Alexander Zverev [1] v Tallon Griekspoor H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Alexander Zverev [1] v Tallon Griekspoor | H2H: Zverev leads 6-1 |
| Indian Wells 2025 | Indian Wells, USA |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $37,650 |
| First on Stadium One (19:00 GMT) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
It was a South American clay court swing to forget for Alexander Zverev who crumbled under pressure when it mattered most. So far the German has failed to capitalise on Jannik Sinner’s absence as Zverev targets a place at the top of the ATP rankings. Now Zverev looks to be aggressive and consistent in his bid to get past the Indian Wells quarter-finals for the first time in his career.
Standing in Zverev’s way is Tallon Griekspoor with the Dutchman hitting form at the right time. The world number 43 enters Indian Wells having reached the semi-finals in Dubai, narrowly losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas. A big serve and sharp net skills has seen Griekspoor slowly gain confidence and now the Dutchman aims to put Zverev under more pressure, securing a significant result in his season.
Zverev will aim to be consistent on serve, using depth to put Griekspoor under pressure from the baseline. Meanwhile, Griekspoor will serve big and approach the net in order to finish off points. This should be a very difficult match for Zverev but the German may just have enough quality to survive a massive test in California.
Prediction: Zverev in three sets.
Qinwen Zheng [8] v Victoria Azarenka H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Qinwen Zheng [8] v Victoria Azarenka | H2H: Azarenka leads 2-0 |
| Indian Wells 2025 | Indian Wells, USA |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $35,260 |
| Sixth on Stadium One (Not before 04:00 GMT) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
It was an incredible 2024 for Qinwen Zheng who reached an Australian Open final, won Olympic gold and reached the final at the WTA Finals. However, Zheng has found it difficult to match her successful year last season winning only one match in three tournaments and will be desperate to change that very soon. Now the eighth seed aims to peak at the right time and get her season off to a good start in Indian Wells.
Next up for Zheng is former champion Victoria Azarenka who has also struggled this season. The former world number one has only secured three victories from five tournaments this year after a consistent yet turbulent 2024. At 35 years of age, Azarenka is still looking to prove that she has plenty left in the tank and will be hoping to stay fit in order to achieve some deep runs at big events this season.
Zheng will look to produce high quality returns to take advantage of Azarenka’s poor second serves. Meanwhile Azarenka will look to be aggressive on the backhand and finish points off at the net. This should be a good contest but Azarenka has a golden opportunity to pounce on Zheng’s vulnerability here.
Prediction: Azarenka in three sets.
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