The round of 16 concluded in Indian Wells on Tuesday, setting up a clash between Iga Swiatek and Caroline Wozniacki. The two have played once in 2019 on Toronto’s hardcourt when the younger player won in three sets.
The match between the two is one between generations of WTA players. Their ages are only eleven years apart, but their successes were shaped in different environments. The elder first reached world number-one status in 2010, competing with Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova. The younger first reached number one in 2022, fighting her way up through players like Naomi Osaka and Ash Barty.
Wozniacki reached the quarterfinal round of the BNP Paribas Open by defeating her close friend Angelique Kerber 6-4 6-2. During the match, both of the tour veterans required medical treatment. The victor had bandages on her toe adjusted, and the German had a medical timeout for work to be done on her lower back. Meeting with press after the match, the Dane extended well wishes to her friend, saying “Never nice to see your opponent feeling some pain and discomfort, so I hope that she’s going to be fine going into Miami.”
Having played each other sixteen times now, to say nothing of the countless joint practices, there are no surprises between the two: “We know what we do…
