California [US], March 13 : World No.1 Iga Swiatek stormed past No.79 Yulia Putintseva to reach her third consecutive quarterfinal at the Indian Wells.
With a 6-1, 6-2 victory, Swiatek set up a quarter-final showdown against former No.1 Caroline Wozniacki on Thursday.
"I think she's playing great even after the maternity break. She was fighting to come back. I have huge respect. I'm going to prepare like any other, but off the court, she's a great person," Swiatek said on court as quoted by WTA.
"I just knew I had to keep my focus because she was trying some different stuff out there. But I really wanted to just play my game and focus on what I wanted to do," Swiatek said.
Swiatek adapted to the various circumstances with ease. She intentionally timed her practice session the day before to play under the lights, and she gave credit to Wozniacki for providing her with information about adjusting her string tension.
Putintseva used every trick to unmoor Swiatek as she started to run away with the contest. In the second set, Putintseva was able to throw the match into disarray with an underarm serve and one of her biggest forehands.
"I can only be responsible for what's going on with me. I want to keep my standards high no matter what's going on, and I think this match was a test for my mental training that I did. I'm happy with the way I was focused and really just, I didn't really care about what was going on. I'm prepared that many things can happen on the court," Swiatek told reporters as quoted by WTA.
Swiatek will face Wozniacki for the second time in her career.
"Obviously she's playing good tennis, playing powerfully. I practiced with her as well a few times after I have come back, during the US Open as well. I know how she plays, but it's one thing knowing how she plays and also playing against her in a full match," Wozniacki said.
"I know that I have to play my best tennis to compete against her, and that's what I hope to do," she added.
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