Swiatek moves into semis after Wozniacki retires due to foot injury

Indian Wells, March 15 (IANS) Iga Swiatek booked her place in the Indian Wells semi-finals after her opponent, Caroline Wozniacki, was forced to retire due to a foot injury at the start of the second set of the quarters of the Paribas Open.

Despite a challenging start where Swiatek found herself trailing 4-1 in the first set, she mounted a remarkable comeback, winning five consecutive games to claim the set 6-4. However, Wozniacki's injury persisted, and she could only manage one game in the second set before retiring from the match.

Reflecting on the victory, Swiatek expressed concern for her opponent's well-being and hoped for her speedy recovery. She acknowledged the tight competition in the first set and emphasized her satisfaction with seizing the opportunities in crucial moments. Yet, she acknowledged that winning under such circumstances was not ideal.

"I'm hoping that Caroline will be better and she'll be ready for Miami," Swiatek said. "It's not the best way to win.

"But I'm happy that I played well enough in first set to win it. For sure it was tight. At the beginning we had many longer rallies, so I felt like I needed to be solid and be ready. At the end I'm happy that I used the chances in the last games."

Looking ahead, Swiatek now prepares to face Marta Kostyuk in the semi-finals. Kostyuk, who secured her first-ever WTA 1000 semi-final berth with a victory over Anastasia Potapova 6-0 7-5.