INDIAN WELLS: Top seed Iga Swiatek swatted aside Yulia Putintseva 6-1 6-2 on Tuesday to set up an Indian Wells quarter-final clash with former world number one Caroline Wozniacki.
Swiatek got off to a slow start and saved four break points in the third game before finding her groove. The Pole then raced to a 5-1 lead, prompting Putintseva to throw her racket to the floor in frustration, before wrapping the opener up in less than 30 minutes.
Swiatek, the 2022 champion, made early inroads in the second set and while Putintseva started going for her shots more the 22-year-old world number one proved too strong for her Kazakh opponent.
“I knew I had to keep my focus (in the second set), she was trying different stuff out there,” said Swiatek, who dropped serve twice in the second frame.