Stronger and more determined, in the wake of an excellent start to the year, Iga Swiatek won the Indian Wells WTA 1000 for the first time in her career on Sunday, at the expense of the Greek Maria Sakkari, too timid for her first grand final.
The Polish won with authority 6-4, 6-1 in 1h20, at the end of a final, which was far from reaching the heights, the fault of a swirling wind which often disturbed the two players.
The winner of Roland-Garros 2020, who was 4th in the world before this tournament, will rise to 2nd place on Monday, instead of the Czech Barbora Krejcikova, who, like Ashleigh Barty (number 1), winner of the Australian Open, was absent in California.
“
I am really upset.
After playing so well in previous tournaments, I didn't think I could keep playing so well for so long.
I did not expect to find myself in this position
, ”exclaimed the semi-finalist of the last Australian Open.
Revealed by her surprise victory at Porte d'Auteuil in 2020, Swiatek won her fifth title on the women's circuit at the age of 20, her second of the year after that gleaned at the end of February in Doha, where she had already dismissed Sakkari in passing. semi final.
She is also unbeaten in 11 matches.
For their reunion, almost a month later, in another desert setting, Swiatek confirmed the ascendancy taken over her 26-year-old rival, who had won their first three confrontations, but found herself there for the first time on the last step of 'a WTA 1000. As the day before during the men's semi-final won by Rafael Nadal against his compatriot Carlos Alcaraz, the wind, although less powerful, terribly hampered the players on service (seven double faults each in total).
Sakkari third in the world
After four breaks to start, Swiatek was the first to win her bet to lead 3-2, taking the net from the fighting-ready Greek from the baseline.
But Sakkari, broken for the third time in a row, was able to come back up to his opponent, before finally winning his bet (4-4).
Swiatek recovered and was able to place a few sharp attacks, to steal Sakkari's commitment for the fourth time and conclude 6-4 on her third opportunity.
The Pole, who succeeds the winners to the Spaniard Paula Badosa, further accelerated the pace in the second round.
Much more solid in the service - she never left the slightest break point to the Greek in this second act - she definitely escaped by delighting her opponent's service twice more.
Contrary to her habits, the latter gave up a little too quickly.
Maria Sakkari (right), will climb on the podium of the world ranking on Monday.
MATTHEW STOCKMAN / AFP
“
It was not my day, a lot of emotions came over me.
It's one of the best tournaments in the world, it will have a special place in my heart
, ”reacted Sakkari, who will also, from Monday, climb the rankings, going from 6th to 3rd place.
Until then, the only representative of Greek tennis to have entered the Top 3 of the world rankings was Stefanos Tsitsipas, last year, in the men's category (he is now the 5th player in the world at the ATP).
Sakkari's arrival on the podium of the WTA rankings testifies to his progress, after his semi-finals at Roland-Garros and the US Open in 2021, but which still does not translate into a victory in a major tournament.
Her only title, in now five finals played, the 26-year-old Athenian won on clay in Rabat in 2019.