The two remaining quarterfinal matches at the WTA Indian Wells Open will be concluded on Thursday. It has been an excellent tournament so far and the excitement promises to continue. There are two entertaining matches on the schedule and, as always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for both. But who will secure their spot in the semifinals?
WTA Indian Wells Quarterfinal Predictions
Elena Rybakina vs Karolina Muchova
Head-to-head: Muchova 1-0 Rybakina
Karolina Muchova is unquestionably a real talent, which makes it a real shame that injuries have continued to hinder her progress. The last time she played a full season on tour, she cracked the top 20. Could she scale those heights again in 2023? She is in her third quarterfinal of the season, and hopefully will play in this one after pulling out from her previous one in Dubai two weeks ago. Unfortunately she may not be able to, with another injury seemingly having struck. The Czech took a medical timeout against Martina Trevisan in the third round and has played with heavy strapping on her thigh since.
That said, she did not look to be in too much discomfort when she knocked her compatriot Marketa Vondrousova out in the last 16 in a three-set thriller. Another plus point is that his match is unlikely to be too taxing physically, with Elena Rybakina always happy to pull the trigger early to keep points as short as possible. With her stellar serve, she will look to rack up the ace count and keep a handle on Muchova. As long as the Czech is healthy she has a shot of keeping things close, but Rybakina’s class should shine in the end.
Prediction: Rybakina in 2
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Iga Swiatek vs Sorana Cirstea
Head-to-head: Swiatek 1-0 Cirstea
Iga Swiatek is into another quarterfinal, scoring her 15th win in her last 18 matches. She has yet to play a three-set match this year after putting 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu to the sword on Tuesday night. The Briton, who has been struggling for form over the last 12 months or so, was surprisingly competitive in the opening few games, but once Swiatek shifted through the gears, she slammed the door shut on a potential upset.
Next up for the world #1 is Carolina Garcia’s conqueror Sorana Cirstea. The Romanian earned her first top-5 win since 2017 by beating the Frenchwoman 6-4 4-6 7-5. Cirstea, now probably in the latter stages of a career that once took her as high as world #21, isn’t letting age slow her down after reaching her biggest quarterfinal of the season so far. But, unfortunately for the Romanian, Swiatek should have enough to once again grind her opponent down into the ground.
Prediction: Swiatek in 2
Main photo credit: Jay Calderon/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK
