Swiatek powers into Indian Wells quarter-finals

Quick work: Defending champion Iga Swiatek of Poland celebrates her 57-minute win over Karolina Muchova in the fourth round at Indian Wells

Defending champion Iga Swiatek powered into the Indian Wells quarter-finals on Tuesday, trouncing Karolina Muchova 6-1, 6-1 in just 57 minutes.

So far, fickle desert weather has been the only thing to slow the world number two from Poland as Tuesday's opening matches were delayed 55 minutes by stop-start rain that saw players warm up then make the trip back and forth to the locker room before play got underway.

Once they started, Swiaek didn't waste any time. She didn't face a break point as for the third straight match she dropped just two games.

She'll play either world number nine Zheng Qinwen of China or Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk for a place in the semi-finals.

Swiatek, whose first four Indian Wells appearances yielded titles in 2022 and 2024, could become the first woman to lift the trophy three times -- and join Martina Navratilova as the only woman to win back-to-back titles in the California desert.

bb/rcw

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