Zheng Qinwen faces Iga Swiatek in a highly-anticipated Indian Wells quarter-finals matchup on Thursday between the Chinese star on the rise and the defending champion. Zheng upset Swiatek at the Paris Olympics last summer and will try to duplicate that result, to derail the Pole’s push toward a third title at the BNP Paribas Open.
Match Preview
After starting 2025 poorly, Zheng came into Indian Wells needing a turnaround and has timed her form perfectly. Reunited with her coach Pere Riba following his annual surgery, the 22-year-old now has her rhythm, notching up three successive wins against Victoria Azarenka, Lulu Sun and Marta Kostyuk to reach her first quarter-final here.
Zheng had been inconsistent leading up to this tournament, but she now has a 4-3 record in 2025 and will be aiming to secure five wins this year by beating Swiatek for a second time. Her greatest confidence booster, however, came when she beat the world No. 2 at the Paris Olympics, taking down the four-time French Open champion in straight sets before going on to win the gold medal.
But Zheng has her work cut out for her against a player who has ruled their head-to-head matchup, winning six of their seven meetings. Swiatek is in imposing form this week at Indian Wells, and the 23-year-old comes into this match on a nine-match winning streak at the tournament.
Since winning her fourth Roland Garros title last year, Swiatek has yet to even reach a caption-defining 23rd career title, but she is nothing if not consistent. The world No. 2 made four semi-finals since that victory, two of them this season, and had looked dominant in the Californian desert.
She has dropped only six games over three rounds at Indian Wells, steamrolling Caroline Garcia, Dayana Yastremska and Karolina Muchova to improve her overall record at the tournament to 22-3. Swiatek will be keen to exact revenge on Zheng, who ended her Tokyo Games campaign, and continue on her quest for a third BNP Paribas Open title.
Head-to-Head Record
Swiatek leads their rivalry 6-1, and Zheng’s lone victory over Swiatek came at the Paris Olympics. She has taken Swiatek to three sets in three of their past matches, so she is capable of challenging the Pole at her best.
Prediction: Swiatek to win
Zheng’s power and serve might trouble Swiatek, but the world No. 2’s consistency and form at Indian Wells means she should prevail in this contest. Expect a dogfight, but Swiatek is favored to win in three sets.
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