Iga Swiatek is hoping to rediscover her top form at Indian Wells after a slow start to the 2026 season.
The six-time Grand Slam champion made it as far as the quarter-finals in Melbourne, where she lost to eventual champion Elena Rybakina.
She then headed to Qatar, where she again exited at the quarter-final stage, this time falling to Maria Sakkari.
Swiatek later withdrew from the Dubai Tennis Championships, a decision that led the tournament director to call for her punishment.
The 24-year-old is now in California for the third WTA 1000 event of the year. She’ll be looking to do better than last year when Alexandra Eala surprised her in the quarter-finals.
If Swiatek manages to win Indian Wells this season, it would mark a first in tournament history.
Iga Swiatek could become the first WTA player to win three Indian Wells titles
No WTA player has ever won the Indian Wells title more than twice, and Iga Swiatek is one of several players who sit on two victories.
That group includes Steffi Graf, Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka, Maria Sharapova and Martina Navratilova.
If Swiatek manages to win this year, she’d break new ground as the first woman to claim a third trophy there.
Swiatek picked up her first title at Indian Wells in 2022 and added another in 2024. Both times she beat Maria Sakkari along the way.
This year, Swiatek comes in as the number two seed. She’s got a bye into the second round and will open against either Fran Jones or a qualifier. A third-round matchup with Sakkari could be on the cards again.
Sakkari recently got the better of Swiatek at the Qatar Open, so it’ll be worth watching how their next meeting plays out if it happens.
Iga Swiatek reflects on her first Indian Wells title
Following her win over Sakkari in the 2022 final, Swiatek spoke about what it meant to claim the title.
“A lot, for sure,” she said. “At the beginning of the tournament, I wouldn’t even think about winning, honestly. Of course you have to believe in yourself, but I’m a realistic person, so…
“Yeah, for sure, especially winning after playing so well in Doha is giving me a lot of confidence and kind of belief that I can do it because, I don’t know. I wouldn’t think of myself as someone who’s ready to play two tournaments in a row and win it.
“For sure hard work is paying off. Yeah, I mean, I felt for the couple of days the pressure on my shoulders a little bit more because of the stage of the tournament and obviously how big is it. As you’re saying, it’s the biggest tournament after Grand Slams.
“Yeah last couple of days have been really stressful for me. That’s another reason why I’m proud of myself that I made it.”
The win also moved her up to world number two for the first time in her career.
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