Iga SWIATEK aims for Sunshine Double feat only accomplished by Steffi Graf as Miami Open approaches
WTA
World No.1, Iga Swiatek sealed Indian Wells with victory over Maria Sakkari 6-4, 6-0 and will now take aim at another title in the form of the Miami Open. The Sunshine Double in itself is a rare feat and so much so that it has only been achieved by Steffi Graf who the former will look to emulate.
While others have won the Sunshine Double as a whole in Victoria Azarenka, Kim Clijsters and Steffi Graf, the latter is the only player to do it twice in her career. The question will now be there whether Swiatek can add herself to that list and then next year potentially go out on her own as the only player to seal a hat-trick.
Given her remarkable run at the Indian Wells Open and having also won Miami in the past, Swiatek won't be a player to bet against. She won 70% of her first serve points and served out bagels (6-0 scorelines) to three out of six opponents not losing a single set. She barely spent over an hour on court in any of her matches and after a poor start to the year is starting to motor again without the blips that perhaps have blighted her dominance in the last six months.
There is also a major factor in her favour. Her rivals have floundered a lot recently which gives her more pressure but also more chance. Aryna Sabalenka has lost to Donna Vekic and Emma Navarro since winning the Australian Open and has not been in the same crushing form as Melbourne.
Elena Rybakina who led the tour for match wins up until Indian Wells had another illness which kept her out of Indian Wells. The Kazakh has often struggled post illness like at Roland Garros last year to recapture her form. While Coco Gauff also has been poor since the US Open at times losing to Katerina Siniakova and latest Maria Sakkari as of late. So Swiatek has all the cards, it is time to put it into action though.
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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