FINAL MATCH PREVIEW | 2024 Indian Wells Open: Iga SWIATEK and Maria SAKKARI set for 2022 Championship rematch

The final is upon us at Indian Wells on Sunday in the WTA side with the men's set to be confirmed on Saturday. Iga Swiatek and Maria Sakkari will do battle just like in 2022 when the former sealed her last Indian Wells title.

While for Sakkari, it is an upturn in form after a torrid 2023 and with a new coach, the new choice is already paying dividends just like it did for Jessica Pegula in her first foray with David Witt. Our preview takes you through both players runs, looks at Head to Head as well as a prediction.

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SakkAttack is back

Maria Sakkari hit back at the haters earlier this week when she told them to keep talking s*** and that she is still here and that in her view, she is one of the best players in the world and has proven it by being in the top 10 until recently for three years.

Sakkari as a result has shown the same fire off the court as she does on it with the Greek ordinarily more reserved when she isn't firing herself up in matches. But perhaps it is the new coaching effort and also looking to prove a point that has got her back up and made her produce results.

Defeating Diana Shnaider in three sets, it is never quite simple for Sakkari compared to her opponent with three set wins over Diane Parry, Emma Navarro and also Coco Gauff. The latter saw the Greek Spartan go 5-2 up and a rain delay halted her as Gauff got a set back, but she showed true resolve in the face of a potential Gauff barrage and got the job done.

From breaking down in tears at the US Open, she went and won Guadalajara last year and after a poor run to start the season has now reached the Indian Wells final. A player that faces more adversity than most, but also deals with it and gets through it. She also doesn't have the hoodoo any longer of being in many finals without winning so it may stand her in good stead here. Overall the Witt effect is in full flow and SakkAttack as she is known is back on form in California, two years on from her final run in the Desert.

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Superb Swiatek near flawless in sunny California

But up next is the World No.1, Iga Swiatek. Despite her dominance at the top of the game, questions have also been there after a poor Australian Open, but she won Doha and only lost in Dubai to a brilliant Anna Kalinskaya. In California and two years on from her last title at Indian Wells, she has not dropped a set and has barely lost games.

As Martina Navratilova said, she is one of the best forerunners going and that has shown, she has lost combined 17 games over five matches over the course of the tournament so far and brushed aside Marta Kostyuk with no degree of difficulty compared to Sakkari's semi-final. It has also been semi a revenge tour with Swiatek downing Linda Noskova with ease who accounted for her at the Australian Open as well as prior rival Danielle Collins. Amid potential ranking pressure at this point in the season, she has weathered that storm and while Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina struggle in comparison, Swiatek just makes it look easy.

But what about their Head to Head. It is a fairly misleading one truthfully with Sakkari leading it 3-2, but Swiatek has won their last two meetings in straight sets which is the likely outcome here. It is the first time they've played since that 2022 final and that was won 6-4, 6-1 by the Pole. A potential scoreline to look out for again perhaps.

PREDICTION - Iga Swiatek in two sets

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☝️ @iga_swiatek ⚡️ @mariasakkari For the 🏆 in the California desert 🌴 #TennisParadise

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