Has Iga Swiatek been unlucky with some of the toughest draws in 2024?

Iga Swiatek has been placed in the first quarter of the draw at Indian Wells, which was released on Monday, March 4. The WTA 1000 event will set the stage for some interesting matchups among top players, including Elena Rybakina, Aryna Sabalenka, and Coco Gauff.

Top seed Swiatek has received a first-round bye and could face Danielle Collins in the second round. While Swiatek has won five out of their six encounters, Collins' lone victory had cut Swiatek's 2022 Australian Open run short in the semifinals.

The Pole could also face No.26 seed Linda Noskova who upset Swiatek in the third round of this year's Australian Open. In case Swiatek comes out at the top of her quarter, she could face a potential showdown against Rybakina in the semifinals.

With the draw out, fans have begun wondering whether Iga Swiatek has been unlucky with tough paths to victories this year. Let's look at some of the other draws that the World No. 1 has received in 2024.

Iga Swiatek's draw at the Australian Open

Swiatek headlined the top quarter of the draw at the 2024 Australian Open. It featured Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova, No. 11 seed Jelena Ostapenko, and No. 19 seed Elina Svitolina. Ostapenko had beaten Swiatek at the US Open while Svitolina had triumphed over the World No. 1 at Wimbledon. The Latvian also leads an impressive 4-0 head-to-head against Swiatek.

Swiatek won her opening round against 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin and second round against 2022 finalist Danielle Collins. She made a third-round exit against Linda Noskova, as the Australian Open title once again eluded the four-time Grand Slam champion.

Iga Swiatek's tough run to the title at Doha

Swiatek lifted the Qatar Open trophy for the third consecutive time this year. In doing so, she became the first player to capture a singles title at an event in three successive years since Serena Williams at the Miami Open (2013-15).

Swiatek overcame Sorana Cirstea, Ekaterina Alexandrova, and Victoria Azarenka in the first, second, and quarterfinals respectively. She defeated Karolina Pliskova before meeting Elena Rybakina in the summit clash. Had the results gone differently, she would still have had to face the likes of Sloane Stephens and Beatriz Haddad Maia, who were placed with her in the draw before the quarterfinals.

Iga Swiatek's draw at the Dubai Tennis Championships

Swiatek led the top half of the 2024 Dubai Tennis Championships draw along with some of her toughest opponents, including Coco Gauff, Ons Jabeur, and Jelena Ostapenko.

She overcame Sloane Stephens in the Round of 32 and next defeated last year's Wimbledon semifinalist Elina Svitolina. She clashed with this year's Australian Open finalist Zheng Qinwen before setting up a semifinal encounter with Anna Kalinskaya. Swiatek bowed out of the event in the semifinals while Kalinskaya lost to the eventual winner Jasmine Paolini in the final.

Even with tough draws, the World No. 1 has a title to her name and an impressive 14-2 win-loss record in the season so far. She will be eyeing her second Indian Wells title after sweeping the Sunshine Double in 2022.