The round of 16 at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells is set after a thrilling third round comes to a close.
Swiatek fends off Andreescu 6-3 7-6(1)
Polish world No.1 Iga Swiatek fended off an eager attempt at an upset from Canadian world No.36 Bianca Andreescu, who at 22 is only one year her senior. Andreescu won the tournament in 2019. For Swiatek, who has hardly been challenged this season, it was almost an unfamiliar feeling: “It was a really tight match, and I’m really happy that I actually played such a tight match because now I see how I can handle those situations after a couple of matches that were kind of one way.”
Swiatek was not only relieved that she had the experience, but she had hoped for it in advance. The top seed told media: “Before the tournament, I thought that it would be nice to have some stressful moments and overcome them. But during that match, I was just really trying to be in the right mindset and kind of be smart about what worked throughout the whole match and what didn’t.”
To work through the pressure points, Swiatek took advantage of all the resources at her disposal, including her team. The three-time Grand Slam champion explained to the press, “I wanted to use the help of my box a little bit, because coaching is allowed here, and…
