Iga Swiatek clarifies "it's nothing personal" after agreeing she had revenge on her mind against Zheng Qinwen at Indian Wells

Iga Swiatek made it clear that she had "nothing personal" against Zheng Qinwen after acknowledging that she sought "revenge" against her at the 2025 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. This marked the eighth time Swiatek faced Zheng on the WTA Tour

Swiatek is the defending champion in Indian Wells this year and kicked off her title defense with a commanding 6-2, 6-0 victory over Caroline Garcia . She then overcame Dayana Yastremska 6-0, 6-2 before routing 15th seed Karolina Muchova.

In the quarterfinals, Iga Swiatek faced eighth seed Zheng Qinwen and emerged victorious with a score of 6-3, 6-3 to secure her spot in the semifinals. This win marked her tenth consecutive victory at Indian Wells and made her the first player in tournament history to reach the semifinals four years in a row

During the post-match press conference following her win over Zheng, Swiatek was asked if she becomes more determined to win against an opponent she has previously lost to, alluding to the fact that before defeating Zheng Qinwen in the quarterfinals of the 2025 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, the former World No.1 had lost 2-6, 5-7 to the Chinese player in the semifinals of the 2024 Paris Olympics and finished with a bronze medal.

In response, Iga Swiatek stated that she does become more determined when facing an opponent she has previously lost to, acknowledging that "revenge" does play a role in her mindset despite there being "nothing personal" against the player.

"Yeah, for sure. For sure it does. I want to show myself and everybody that I can do it, and I already, you know, knew before the Olympics match, I know now, but yeah, it's not nice to lose to anybody, so for sure you want to have a little, I don't know, like revenge, but it's nothing personal. I think every player has that against everybody who they lose before," Swiatek said.

This year at Indian Wells, Zheng Qinwen defeated players like Victoria Azarenka, Lulu Sun, and Marta Kostyuk before falling to Iga Swiatek.

---

After defeating Zheng Qinwen, Iga Swiatek will face Mirra Andreeva in the 2025 BNP Paribas Open SF

Iga Swiatek at the 2025 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells [Image Source: Getty Images]

Following her win over Zheng Qinwen, Iga Swiatek will next take on Mirra Andreeva in the semifinals in Indian Wells. The Russian entered the BNP Paribas Open after winning her maiden WTA 1000 title at the Dubai Tennis Championships, and booked her place in the last four after beating 23rd seed Elina Svitolina 7-5, 6-3 in the quarterfinals.

Swiatek and Andreeva have faced each other twice on the WTA Tour, with their head-to-head currently tied at 1-1. Their most recent encounter was in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Dubai Tennis Championships, where the Russian emerged victorious with a score of 6-3, 6-3.

Whoever out of Swiatek or Andreeva wins, will play either top seed Aryna Sabalenka or fifth seed Madison Keys in the final.