Svitolina knocked out the world's second-ranked player and advanced to the Indian Wells semi-finals

Elina Svitolina advanced to the semi-finals of the WTA 1000 tournament in Indian Wells, USA. In the quarter-finals, the Ukrainian defeated the world's second-ranked player, Poland's Iga Świątek, in three sets - 6:2, 4:6, 6:4.

The match lasted 2 hours and 9 minutes. During the game, Svitolina made 5 aces, committed 5 double faults, converted 5 of 11 break points and lost 3 games on her own serve.

This was the Ukrainian tennis player's second victory over Świątek in her career. Until that day, their head-to-head record was in favour of the Polish player - 4:1.

The WTA noted that before the match, Svitolina had only one victory in five previous meetings with Swiatek, but in Indian Wells she was able to change the statistics in her favour.

For Svitolina, this is already her fourth victory in the 2026 season over a tennis player from the top 10 in the world rankings. The Ukrainian also reached her second semi-final in Indian Wells and her first since 2019.

On her way to the quarter-finals, Svitolina started the tournament in the second round, where she defeated Germany's Laura Siegemund 7-6, 4-6, 6-3. In the third round, the Ukrainian defeated American Ashlyn Krueger 6-4, 6-2. In the round of 16, Svitolina defeated Czech player Katerina Siniakova after her opponent withdrew with the score at 6-1, 1-1.

In the semi-finals, the Ukrainian tennis player will face Elena Rybakina from Kazakhstan. Rybakina, who is ranked third in the world, advanced to the semi-finals after defeating Jessica Pegula.

The BNP Paribas Open noted that by reaching the semi-finals, Svitolina brought her win-loss record for the 2026 season to 19-3. In February

, Elina Svitolina reached the final of the WTA 1000 tournament in Dubai, but lost in the title match.