Zheng Qinwen makes her feelings known on Iga Swiatek clash at Indian Wells with Pole hunting for Olympics revenge

Zheng Qinwen, the World No. 9, catapulted Marta Kostyuk in the fourth round at the Indian Wells to book her spot in the last eight of the tournament.

She will face the defending champion, Iga Swiatek, in the quarterfinals. The Polish superstar has been in phenomenal form throughout the tournament till now. Excluding the bye in the first round, the second seed has only lost 6 games combined in all the three matches she played till now.

She blew away her recent victim, 15th seed Karolina Muchova, in straight sets 6-1, 6-1. Similarly, the other two opponents in the previous rounds, Dayana Yastremska and Caroline Garcia, were demolished by Swiatek en route to the quarterfinals. Winning all the matches in straight sets, that too with big margins, speaks volumes of the kind of form the World No. 2 is in.

The former World No. 1 is eyeing her third title at the Indian Wells, where the Chinese player is at a roadblock in the quarterfinals. Zheng Qinwen made her best appearance at the Indian Wells this season, reaching the last eight. She is also yet to drop a set in the tournament.

Barring the bye in the first round, the eight seed went past Victoria Azarenka and Lulu Sun in the second and third rounds. 18th seed Marta Kostyuk was the latest player she beat, again in straight sets 6-3, 6-2.

After her win, Zheng Qinwen shared her feelings in an on-court interview regarding her showdown with Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals. She said:

“Well yeah, I think it doesn’t matter. She or me both of us will give our best, because she won like really easy the first three matches at Indian Wells, so she’s in good shape. So, same as I, we’re gonna fight and let’s see what happens in the next match.”

The duo last met at the Paris Olympics, where Zheng had defeated the Pole in the semifinals of the event, also in straight sets 6-2, 7-5. That win marked the Chinese player's first victory against the five-time Grand Slam champion in their seven outings.

Both players are in red-hot form, making it a highly anticipated clash in the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open. Zheng will look to upset Swiatek once again, while the Pole will look to exact her revenge from the Olympics.

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Are Zheng Qinwen and Iga Swiatek friends or foe?

Zheng Qinwen (L) and Iga Swiatek (R) - Source: Getty

Former World No. 5 Zheng Qinwen recently talked about befriending two people on the tour. She didn’t reveal the names, but fans suspected two names on social media, and one of them was Iga Swiatek. She had said:

"Actually, there are two people in the tennis community whom I really want to befriend. But I haven’t taken that step yet. I’ll talk about it once I do."

Some fans even manifested their friendship. However, when it comes to Zheng Qinwen, she has been misunderstood on tour as cutthroat and somewhat detached.

She had even expressed her opinion on the post-match tradition of shaking hands as a sign of sportsmanship. The Chinese player had faced backlash due to her frosty exchanges on the net, due to which fans have even presumed that Zheng is not that friendly.

Her opinion was that a smiley face should not be compulsory with a handshake. She further explained that after a loss, it’s difficult to put up a graceful smile while congratulating the opponent for their win, especially when you are hurting inside. Zheng Quinwen also acknowledged the need to be respectful to your opponent, but not with a smiley face or by giving a hug every time.