There have been many upsets throughout the WTA Indian Wells singles draw, but two of the top five seeds remain to fight for a place in the final. One is world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, who plays Marta Kostyuk, while US Open champion Coco Gauff battles Maria Sakkari. Both semifinals promise to be terrific contests. As always, we at LWOT give our predictions and analysis. But which two players do you think will reach the final?
WTA Indian Wells Semifinal Predictions
Iga Swiatek vs Marta Kostyuk
Head-to-Head: Swiatek 1-0 Kostyuk
It was such a shame that Caroline Wozniacki had to retire after the first set of the quarterfinal against Swiatek. The world No. 1 had won five games in a row to win an entertaining opening set 6-4, and she has yet to drop a set in Indian Wells. However, Kostyuk has also not lost a set in California. The Ukrainian did receive a walkover from Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in the second round, but this was followed by very impressive performances against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Anastasia Potapova.
Swiatek is undoubtedly the favorite in this match. The slow and high-bouncing conditions in Indian Wells suit her game perfectly. At its best, her tennis has been sublime at the event. But there is one source of hope for Kostyuk: Swiatek started slowly in her matches against Danielle Collins, Linda Noskova, and Wozniacki, including 4-2 down to Noskova and 4-1 down to Wozniacki, before recovering. Kostyuk is an emotional player on-court, meaning she can get very down on herself if she falls behind. However, if she gets off to a strong start, the Ukrainian is one of the best at snowballing that momentum.
This one will involve many long rallies between two excellent athletes. Swiatek’s class should prevail in suitable conditions, but Kostyuk is capable of causing her some problems along the way.
Prediction: Swiatek in 2
Coco Gauff vs Maria Sakkari
Head-to-Head: Sakkari 4-3 Gauff
Both players managed to get through their quarterfinals despite not being their best. Gauff hit a startling 17 double faults against Yue Yuan in two sets, but the rest of her game was still good enough to triumph in straight sets. Last year’s Guadalajara champion Sakkari recovered from a set down against Emma Navarro in a contest that was scrappy. However, the Greek typically struggles to fight through ugly matches like that, which was a positive sign for her.
Gauff has won their last two meetings, but Sakkari does possess a game that can hurt the American, as shown in their overall head-to-head shows. The 28-year-old can dominate the forehand-to-forehand rallies, where she has an advantage at her best. Sakkari can also pounce if Gauff has another bad day on serve.
I am still backing the US Open Champion for two reasons. Firstly, despite not being at her vintage best against Yue Yuan, Gauff showed how good her best level was in her demolition of Elise Mertens in the previous round. Secondly, Sakkari has been to this stage of tournaments against players of Gauff’s class many times and has been unable to produce her best. Ultimately, Gauff’s mental edge might end up being the difference.
Prediction: Gauff in 3
Main Photo Credit: Robert Deutsch – USA TODAY Sports
