Defending champion Iga Swiatek sends out a major warning to rivals at Indian Wells

The two-time Indian Wells champion has now won 17 of her last 18 matches at the tournament, with her only defeat since 2022 coming in the 2023 semi-finals to Elena Rybakina.

The win over Garcia may be particularly significant for the 23-year-old, following a difficult start to the season which has seen her fail to win a title.

Following her victory, the Pole was asked about the difference between her emphatic wins and her often tighter losses.

Swiatek said: "It's just, you know, that I'm solid no matter what the score is, and I don't take [the] next games for granted. If I'm leading even 4-0, I know that I should keep playing the same way and keep the same attitude to just win the match.

"But for sure, the matches that I lose are usually much tighter, which means that it's harder to win against me, I guess.

"But it doesn't matter. I'm going to have matches that are huge battles and easy matches, but you can never expect and you can never just, I don't know, try to predict. It doesnâ™t make sense."

Swiatek will hope to continue her momentum in the third round when she takes on Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska on Sunday. 

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