Swiatek holds off Andreescu to reach Indian Wells 4th round

World number one Iga Swiatek passed the test she’d been looking for, roaring through the tiebreaker to win a roller-coaster clash with Bianca Andreescu 6-3, 7-6 (7/1) to reach the fourth round at Indian Wells.

The victory took her a step closer to becoming just the second woman, after Martina Navratilova in 1990 and ‘91, to win back-to-back titles in the combined WTA and ATP Masters 1000 event.

She would go on to win the French and US Opens last year, but she got a run for her money from Canada’s Andreescu, whose 2019 Indian Wells triumph was the springboard to a breakout season that included a US Open title.

After an exchange of breaks in the first two games, Swiatek saved three break points in the fifth to launch a run of three straight games that took her two a 5-2 lead.

Andreescu held to force her to serve it out, and the Pole pocketed the first set on her second set point.

Swiatek broke Andreescu to open the second set. But as the blistering baseline rallies continued the Canadian wasn’t about to let her make it a runaway.

Unable to convert a break chance in the second game, Andreescu then took her turn to put together a run of games, winning four straight with two breaks of serve -- including breaking Swiatek to love for a 4-2 lead.

Undaunted, Swiatek put it back on serve in the next game and broke again for a 5-4 lead.