Top-ranked Iga Swiatek showcased her dominance on Friday night at the BNP Paribas Open, defeating Marta Kostyuk 6-2, 6-1 to secure a spot in the final. Swiatek's victory improved her impressive 2022 record to 19-2, making her the leader in match wins on the WTA Tour.
In the upcoming final, Swiatek will face the winner of the semifinal clash between third-seeded Coco Gauff and No. 9 seed Maria Sakkari. Swiatek holds a significant advantage over Gauff in their head-to-head matchups, winning nine out of their 10 encounters. Against Sakkari, Swiatek has emerged victorious in three out of their five meetings.
The Polish star's path to the final has been marked by exceptional performance, having previously won the 2022 tournament during a remarkable 37-match winning streak. In the quarterfinals, Swiatek advanced when Caroline Wozniacki retired while trailing 6-4, 1-0. Through the semifinals, Swiatek has only dropped 17 games.
Despite Kostyuk's commendable 17 winners in the match, Swiatek's overall game was superior, as she did not face a single break point. Swiatek's strong serving was evident, with a 74% first-serve percentage and impressive win rates of 83% on first-serve points and 50% on second-serve points.
Reflecting on her performance, Swiatek expressed satisfaction with her play, stating, 'It was the cleanest match I played here. I didn't really have any moment today in the match where I didn't feel confident.'
Men's Doubles Final Result
In the men's doubles final, Nikola Mektic of Croatia and Wesley Koolhof of the Netherlands emerged victorious over fifth-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain and Horacio Zeballos of Argentina, securing a 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4) win. The winning duo claimed a prize of $447,300 for their successful performance.
