Two-time champion Swiatek thumps Muchova to move into Indian Wells quarters, Pegula advances

[p]World number two [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/swiatek-iga/jNyZsXZe/"]Swiatek[/a], who lifted the trophy in the prestigious 1000 event in 2022 and 2024, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/muchova-k-Or4Qa1ye/swiatek-i-jNyZsXZe/?mid=OIUE5Kt2"]won the last 10 games[/a] to halt [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/muchova-karolina/Or4Qa1ye/"]Muchova[/a]'s eight-match winning streak, which included her first title since 2019 in the Qatar Open last month.[/p][p][b]"I felt ‌I was playing better and better, just ​great[/b]," Swiatek said in her on-court interview.[/p][p]"[b]I love playing here, ​I love the conditions. I started to understand them a bit better a ⁠couple of ​years back and since then it feels like I can really use my advantages here[/b].[/p][p]"It's a great place to ‌play tennis, hopefully I can keep doing that until the end."[/p][embed guid="49722686-5fc1-4a95-a325-1e1334aa1640" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MziF3rmNv9A" social-type="youtube" /][p]She next faces either ninth-seeded Ukrainian [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/monfils-elina/jyngIesG/"]Elina Svitolina[/a] or 44th-ranked Czech [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/siniakova-katerina/OKXs3Wah/"]Katerina Siniakova[/a], who ousted defending champion [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/andreeva-mirra/lI6fOOat/"]Mirra Andreeva[/a] in the third round.[/p][p]Meanwhile, Fifth-seeded American [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/pegula-jessica/KdojxrAR/"]Jessica Pegula[/a] beat [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bencic-belinda/ObGlDvu0/"]Belinda Bencic[/a] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/bencic-b-ObGlDvu0/pegula-j-KdojxrAR/?mid=WW7MvN15"]6-3, 7-6(5)[/a] to advance, claiming her first victory over the Swiss veteran after four defeats.[/p][p]Up 5-3 in the second set, Pegula thwarted a late comeback bid from Bencic, who produced a love service game then broke Pegula as she served for the match at 5-4.[/p][p]Bencic then held serve to force the tiebreaker, saving a pair of match points before Pegula closed out the win on her third opportunity.[/p][embed guid="92cf2aaf-95f9-4a28-8302-67030f0817c1" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LwrOJM1Fus" social-type="youtube" /][p]"[b]She made me have to earn it today[/b]," Pegula said.[/p][p][b]"I felt like in the second set, when I got up there, I had a little bit of a lull where I had a couple of game points and I could have maybe finished the match[/b].[/p][p]"But she's a really good player and when you don't quite finish those off that's where she can come in, and that's what she did."[/p][p]Pegula will next face either reigning Australian Open champion [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rybakina-elena/UDzElXdm/"]Elena Rybakina[/a], the 2023 Indian Wells winner, or unseeded Briton [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kartal-sonay/nFb01JTe/"]Sonay Kartal[/a].[/p]