Zheng Qinwen to Compete Against Iga Swiatek in BNP Paribas Open Quarterfinals

Zheng Qinwen from China made a strong statement at the BNP Paribas Open by reaching the women's singles quarterfinals with a commanding 6-3, 6-2 win against Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk in Monday's round of 16 match at Indian Wells. This match marks Zheng's first appearance in the last eight at this tournament and her seventh overall at the WTA 1,000 level.

The eighth-seeded Zheng took only 80 minutes to defeat her 18th-seeded opponent.

"I needed to balance controlled aggression today," Zheng reflected. "Kostyuk was more aggressive but she also had more unforced errors. I wasn't playing at my best level but it was enough for me to advance."

This success follows a challenging start to the season for Zheng, who faced injury issues and coaching changes before reuniting with her Spanish coach Pere Riba.

"Riba's return shifted our focus from physical limitations to court execution. We've intensified training loads while eliminating excessive injury talk – that mental freedom translates to better movement during matches," Zheng explained.

In the upcoming quarterfinals, Zheng will go up against World No. 2 and four-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek from Poland, marking their eighth encounter. Zheng's sole victory over Swiatek was in the semifinals at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, where she went on to win the gold medal.

In women's doubles at Indian Wells, veteran Chinese player Zhang Shuai and her partner Hsieh Su-wei from Chinese Taipei progressed to the semifinals after defeating Jeļena Ostapenko from Latvia and Ellen Perez from Australia in straight sets, with a score of 7-5, 6-4.

Frederick R Cook contributed to this report for TROIB News

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