Iga Świątek has advanced to the fourth round of the 2026 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, where she will face Karolína Muchová. Ahead of their matchup, the former World No. 1 shared her thoughts on facing Muchová, calling her the “woman’s Roger Federer.”
Świątek and Muchová have faced each other five times on the WTA Tour, with the Pole winning four of those matches. Their most recent encounter was in the fourth round of the 2025 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, where Świątek secured a 6-1, 6-1 victory.
Iga Świątek Calls Karolína Muchová ‘Woman’s Roger Federer’ Ahead of Their Indian Wells 4R Match
This year, Świątek is seeded second at Indian Wells and began her campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. She defeated qualifier Kayla Day with a score of 6-0, 7-6(2) in her opening match and then secured her spot in the fourth round by eliminating 32nd seed Maria Sakkari with a scoreline of 6-3, 6-2 in the third round.
Following her third-round win at the WTA 1000 hard-court tournament in California, during the post-match press conference, Świątek spoke about going up against Muchová in the fourth round. The former World No. 1 stated that, despite having an advantage in their head-to-head record, she is not expecting an easy match because whenever she has faced the Czech in a match, it has been a “tight” contest.
“Well, the way you started that question, I don’t want to expect that, because yes, like the head-to-head might be to my side, but I can remember all these matches I played against her, sometimes I was down, like, break in third, you know. She’s an amazing player, and most of the time we played really tight matches,” Świątek said.
The two-time Indian Wells champion expressed that she enjoys competing against Muchová and watching her play, as she is “smart” and “smooth” in her game, praising her as the “woman’s Roger Federer.”
“It’s going to be tough, and I’m ready for the battle. Honestly, I love playing against her. I also love watching Karolína. Yeah, it’s just nice to see someone who plays so smart and so smooth. She’s like woman’s Roger [Federer],” she added.
Muchová is seeded 13th at the 2026 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, and she also began her campaign in the second round following a first-round bye. She reached the fourth round by defeating Anna Bondár (7-5, 6-2) and Antonia Ružić (6-0, 6-3) in the second and third rounds, respectively.
The winner of the fourth-round match between Świątek and Muchová at the WTA 1000 hard court tournament in Indian Wells will advance to face either ninth seed Elina Svitolina or Kateřina Siniaková in the quarterfinals.
