Iga Swiatek provides own downpour at Indian Wells after rain delay with lightning-quick win.

For a good part of Tuesday, the question on Stadium 1 at the BNP Paribas Open was this: Which is faster, Mother Nature or Iga Swiatek?

It was basically a tie.

After a rain delay of just under an hour that kept players off Stadium 1 at the start of the day at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, Swiatek took just 57 minutes to dispose of No. 15 seed Karolina Muchova in the fourth round.
The victory was the latest in a long line of dominating performances at the BNP Paribas Open for Swiatek, the two-time and defending champion of the tournament. Swiatek now has a career record of 21-2 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden and is looking to reach at least the semifinals of the event for the fourth consecutive year.
“I felt great even though today my routine and everybody’s routine had to be different. I was able to adjust and I was happy about that. Pretty happy that I played with such confidence,” Swiatek told the crowd after the match. “Hopefully, the weather from the days before will stay with us.”

Seeded second in this year’s event, Swiatek wasted no time in beating Muchova for the fourth consecutive time head to head. Swiatek broke Muchova in the first and third games of the first set for a quick 4-0 lead and closed out the set with another break of serve.

While Swiatek played well, keeping Muchova pinned behind the baseline on most points, Muchova didn’t help her own cause with a series of missed backhands early in the set and three double faults, including the set point.

The second set wasn’t much better for Muchova, with Swiatek winning the first three games before Muchova managed a game win. It was just the third game Swiatek has lost in the first three matches, and it hardly slowed her down as she won the final three games, including one more break of Muchova’s serve.

Swiatek’s six dropped games ties for the fewest games lost by a player reaching the quarterfinals in the tournament, matching Monica Seles in 2002.