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Tennis: Świątek defeats Sakkari to win Indian Wells title

Iga Świątek during her Indian Wells final clash against Maria Sakkari. Photo: Getty Images
Iga Świątek during her Indian Wells final clash against Maria Sakkari. Photo: PAP/EPA/JOHN G. MABANGLO
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Iga Świątek kept her cool in the first set and kicked into high gear in the second one to defeat Maria Sakkari 6:4, 6:0 in the grand final of the Indian Wells WTA 1000 tournament. The 22-year-old Pole scooped her 19th WTA title overall in singles and is on the right track to leapfrog Lindsay Davenport of the U.S. in the number of weeks spent as world's number 1.

In Sunday's final, Świątek repeated the feat from two years ago, when she took her first victory at Indian Wells, also after beating Sakkari. This year, the WTA leader did not drop a single set throughout the entire event.

Hence, the Pole equalled the record against the Greek, as in six games played between them, both won three times.

Świątek continues to impress in her final performances. Having 23 direct opportunities to lift the trophy, she emerged victorious as many as 19 times. The prestigious Californian event is called the "fifth Grand Slam" and is attended by all the world's best tennis players, both men and women.

Apart from sport glory, Iga Świątek earned a total of USD 1.1 mln for her performance at Indian Wells.

As of Monday, the Pole will enter the 95th week as world’s number one. She is trailing Lindsay Davenport, a legendary U.S. player, by only three weeks, and may leapfrog her after the upcoming tournament in Miami. Świątek was not competing there in 2023, thus she can only gain ranking points.
Source: TVP WORLD
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