Swiatek and Sakkari to battle it out for number 2 on rankings

Iga Świątek and Maria Sakkari will contest the women’s final at Indian Wells tomorrow, but it’s not just a WTA 1000 title at stake with the winner rising up to number two.

The Polish star extended her winning streak to 10 matches to make a second successive WTA 1000 final, having triumphed at the Doha Open last month. She will come up against Sakkari, who progressed into her first-ever WTA 1000 final with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 result over defending champion Paula Badosa.

Świątek and Sakkari have played four times so far, with the Greek player racking up three victories, all last year and all in straight sets. She was defeated by Świątek just last month in the semi-finals of the Doha Open.

Whoever wins the final will move up the world rankings past Barbora Krejčíková, who missed Indian Wells with an arm injury. It would be a career-high ranking for both players – Świątek is currently at a career-high of number four, while Sakkari is at a personal best of number six. Ashleigh Barty will remain world number one, despite skipping Indian Wells due to a lack of fitness.