Top-half WTA quarterfinals are scheduled to take place on Wednesday at the BNP Paribas Open. Let’s have a look at the quarterfinal pairs.
Simona Halep [24] versus Petra Martic
Simona Halep of Romania will face Petra Martic of Croatia for a spot in the semifinals at Indian Wells. Martic won their first encounter over a decade ago at the 2011 Copenhagen WTA. Halep has walked away with the win in their two most recent meetings, including the 2018 Indian Wells quarterfinal. It was a tight 6-4 7-6(5) 6-3 victory.
Looking ahead, Halep said, “I expect a tough battle. It’s always tough to play against her. I will watch her a little bit, that match, and I will get ready.”
Martic was open with the press, sharing the challenges she experiences going deep in this tournament: “I feel a little bit empty right now to be honest. Like I said, it’s been awhile since I played on a high level and went deep into a tournament, so emotionally I feel a little bit drained at the moment. I just want to try to recover and prepare as good as I can for the quarterfinals.”
Iga Swiatek [3] versus Madison Keys [25]
Iga Swiatek of Poland won her lone encounter with American Madison Keys at the 2021 Rome tournament. Playing on clay, a surface the 2020 French Open champion is significantly more comfortable on than the American, she won 7-5 6-1.
Keys has been playing well in the desert this week and will offer a bigger challenge. The Indian Wells hard courts are significantly slower than many players are used to, but Keys has turned a corner recently. She told the media, the key is “just accepting the courts are going to be slow. I think in the past maybe I’ve almost been trying to fight that. Just accepting that it is what it is, points are probably going to be a little bit longer, just accepting that and trying to figure it out from there.”
Asked about what to expect from the match, Keys was direct and characteristically light hearted: “I think she moves incredibly well. Jessie [Pegula] and I were actually talking about that in the middle of our doubles. Her ability to slide into everything is incredible. She moves really well. She defends really well. She’s very good at immediately taking advantage of any situation. I think she’s very good, and there’s a reason she’s winning matches that she’s winning.”
Swiatek knows the Keys she meets at Indian Wells will not be the same she played on clay last year: “she can play really flat and really fast, but on the other hand she has a great serve and she uses her height, and she can play a great kick. I don’t know really honestly. […] Again, it’s going to be a match against a really experienced player who has played so many times here. I got to be ready for everything.”
