World No. 2 Iga Swiatek ends Zheng Qinwen's journey at the BNP Paribas Open

China's Zheng Qinwen exited the BNP Paribas Open following a 6-3, 6-3 defeat to World No. 2 Iga Swiatek from Poland in the women's quarterfinals held in Indian Wells, California, on Thursday.

Ranked No. 9 in the world, Zheng faced challenges with unforced errors during critical moments and managed to convert only two out of five break points. Swiatek secured victory after one hour and 35 minutes of play, which was disrupted by inclement weather.

This matchup contrasted with their previous encounter in the semifinals of the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, where Zheng triumphed over the four-time French Open champion with a score of 6-2, 7-5 en route to her gold medal win.

Swiatek, aiming for her third title at Indian Wells, successfully converted all five break point opportunities and won 74 percent of the points on her first serve.

In the first set, the 23-year-old quickly gained a 5-1 advantage, but Zheng fought back by breaking Swiatek's serve and holding on to her own. However, Swiatek sealed the opening set in her following service game and established a 4-0 lead in the second set before Zheng mounted another comeback. Ultimately, Swiatek secured her place in the semifinals of the Women's Association of Tennis 1000 event.

"At the end it got really windy which made it super tricky, especially when the conditions change during the match, you need to adjust quickly and it's not that easy," Swiatek reflected in her on-court interview. "I am happy that I was pushing until the end. It was a weird match with all the breaks and everything, but I wanted to be composed and really focused, and I'm glad that I did that."

Swiatek, a five-time Grand Slam champion, will go up against Russia's Mirra Andreeva in the semifinals.

Emily Johnson for TROIB News

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