A chance for redemption awaits Iga Swiatek. Seven months after a tearful defeat to Qinwen Zheng at the Paris Olympics, the two are set to clash again in a highly anticipated Indian Wells Open quarterfinal. Zheng acknowledges the stakes, stating, “She or me, both of us will give our best because she won like really easy the first three matches at Indian Wells, so she’s in good shape.” Swiatek, meanwhile, is focused on learning from their previous encounter and adapting to Zheng’s current form. Can the former world No. 1 find the winning formula this time?
Iga Swiatek vs Qinwen Zheng: Preview
Iga Swiatek is a two-time BNP Paribas Open champion (2022, 2024). Can the reigning champion get one step closer to clinching her third Indian Wells title? Well, Swiatek has had a stellar start in this tournament, and guess what? She’s yet to drop a set and has lost just 6 games through 3 matches at the 2025 Indian Wells Open. Swiatek has matched Monica Seles’ feat of just six games lost in 2002. Swiatek will be entering this contest against Zheng following her impressive 6-1,6-1 win over Karolina Muchova (CZE) in the R16.
Aug 11, 2022; North York, ON, Canada; Iga Swiatek (POL) serves against Beatriz Haddad Maia (BRA) at Sobeys Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
On the other side, Qinwen Zheng had a horrid start to her season this year. Last year’s finalist at AO, got eliminated in the second round this year, and then after that, she made a couple of more early exits in the Middle Swing. However, Zheng will be entering this match following her 6-3,6-2 win over Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in the R16.
Swiatek vs Zheng: Head-to-Head
Iga Swiatek and Qinwen Zheng have faced each other seven times in their careers so far. Currently, the Polish superstar leads the head-to-head record against Zheng by 6-1.
2024 Olympics SF: Zheng 6-2,7-5.
2024 Dubai QF: Swiatek 6-3,6-2.
2024 United Cup: Swiatek 6-2,6-3.
2023 Cincinnati R16: Swiatek 3-6,6-1,6-1.
2023 Stuttgart R16: Swiatek 6-1,6-4.
2022 San Diego R16: Swiatek 6-4,4-6,6-1.
2022 Roland Garros R16: Swiatek 6(5)-7,6-0,6-2.
Prediction: Swiatek will continue her straight sets winning streak
Having won this tournament twice (2022, and 2024), Swiatek knows the surfaces and conditions pretty well. Besides, she has been in a better form in comparison to Qinwen Zheng (9) in this season. Swiatek (2) has a win-loss record of 17-4 in 2025, while it’s just 4-3 for the Chinese at the moment.
If we take a glimpse at the playing styles, Qinwen Zheng is an aggressive baseliner. She has a good, strong serve and forehand in her armory. Zheng loves to hit the ball early, and she likes to dictate the match from the baseline. Her heavy topspins from both wings can cause a few troubles for the Pole in this match. Will it be enough to topple Iga Swiatek? Perhaps not!
Iga Swiatek has an aggressive, all-court style of play. She loves to incorporate a lot of variation in her game. Her game style is mainly focused on offense, and she typically generates a high amount of both winners and unforced errors during her matches. Swiatek’s forehand and backhand shots are fast and powerful. She can also generate a lot of topspin while hitting forehands. Other than that, the Polish star also possesses good volleying skills. However, her biggest weakness has been the high number of double fault counts in this season. She has hit 29 aces this season but committed 45 double faults.
Having said that, I must also mention that Swiatek has kept things a bit tidier in this tournament, in particular. So, keeping all these aspects in mind, I feel it’d be really hard for Zheng to stop Swiatek’s incredible run in this tournament.
The post Indian Wells 2025: Iga Swiatek vs Qinwen Zheng; Preview, Head-to-Head, and Prediction appeared first on EssentiallySports.