2024 Indian Wells: Preview and Order of Play for March 15th ft. Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Maria Sakkari, and Marta Kostyuk
The tournament will host four matches on the day as finals of men's doubles and invitational mixed doubles will also be played out along with women's semi-finals.
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L-R: Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Maria Sakkari, Marta Kostyuk (Images via IMAGO)
Day 10 of the 2024 Indian Wells Open will see the semi-finals played out for women’s singles. Along with the two singles matches, the men’s doubles finals will also be played out. The proceedings will, however, begin with the finals of the mixed doubles invitational.
The four matches will all be played on Stadium 1 and are evenly spaced out. The women’s singles semis are scheduled for later in the afternoon as the WTA-1000 event draws closer to its conclusion.
Of the four ladies who have made the semis, World No. 1 Iga Swiatek and World No. 9 Maria Sakkari played in the finals of the 2022 edition. The Pole came out on top and won the title. As for World No. 3 Coco Gauff and World No. 32 Marta Kostyuk, the two will make their debut in the semis of Indian Wells.
Gauff will play in her fifth semis of a WTA-1000 event. But for Kostyuk, it is her debut in the semi-finals of any WTA-1000 event.
Schedule for the day (Women)
| Player | Opponent | Time (local) |
| Iga Swiatek | Marta Kostyuk | Not before 4:00 PM |
| Coco Gauff | Maria Sakkari | Not before 6:00 PM |
Prediction for the semi-finals
Iga Swiatek vs. Marta Kostyuk
Swiatek had an early wrap to her quarter-final clash against Caroline Wozniacki as the Dane retired mid-match. The Pole was, however, leading 6-4, 1-0 when the incident happened. As a result, she moves into the semis without dropping a single set.
In her last 12 matches at the tournament, she has dropped set just once, during her defeat to Elena Rybakina in last year’s semis. The famous ‘Swiatek Bakery’ has been running fine in Indian Wells as well with two bagels and one breadstick served in her four matches so far.
Kostyuk’s season continues to improve as she reaches her maiden WTA-1000 semi-final. She defeated Anastasia Potapova 6-0, 7-5 to reach the last-4 without dropping a set. Although she had a walkover in the third round due to Marketa Vondrousova‘s injury, she has performed quite well.
Similar to Swiatek, Kostyuk has also played 20 matches so far this season with a 15-5 record. The Pole, however, has an 18-2 record in comparison. The odds seem to favor the top seed, but Kostyuk can certainly surprise everyone with her strong-willed performance.
Prediction: Swiatek in 2.
Coco Gauff vs. Maria Sakkari
Crowd favorite Gauff continues to dazzle on the American hardcourts. The World No. 3 overpowered Yue Yuan 6-4, 6-3 to make the semis in Indian Wells for the first time. Having celebrated her 20th birthday a couple of days ago, the third seed looks sensational in the Californian desert.
With a 16-3 season record and a chance to reach the finals, one can expect a stellar performance from her. Having made the quarter-finals last year, she has already improved on that by adding ranking points to her name as she keeps the pressure on Aryna Sabalenka and Swiatek.
Sakkari enters her third consecutive semi-final in Indian Wells following a hard-fought win over Emma Navarro. The Greek won the match 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 in a fantastic comeback against the young American.
After a poor start to her season, she finally seems to have found her form. The former World No. 3 is now 9-4 for the season as she reaches the last-4. Having come very close to lifting the coveted title, the Greek will leave no stone unturned to give herself another shot at the title.
Prediction: Gauff in 3.
In case you missed it:
- “My opponent doesn’t know what’s coming next,” Carlos Alcaraz is all set to take on the semifinals at Indian Wells with daunting confidence
- “The train has left the station,” Roger Federer crushes comeback controversies with his “relieved” take on retirement
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Sarthak Shitole
(3462 Articles Published)