The second set of WTA Indian Wells quarterfinals promises to be outstanding. Iga Swiatek will play Elina Svitolina before Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina’s battle with Jessica Pegula. We give our predictions and analysis in this article, but which players do you expect to triumph?
WTA Indian Wells Quarterfinal Predictions
Iga Swiatek vs Elina Svitolina
Head-to-head: Swiatek 4-1 Svitolina
Swiatek did not drop a set in her comfortable triumphs over Kayla Day, Maria Sakkari, and Karolina Muchova. Svitolina needed three sets to overcome Laura Siegemund, beat Ashlyn Krueger, and benefited from Katerina Sinaikova retiring in the second set of their Round of 16 encounter.
The World No. 2’s four victories against Svitolina were in straight sets, with the Ukrainian’s sole win coming in three sets at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships after an inspired performance. Although her technical quality and fighting skills mean Svitolina should never be entirely ruled out, the veteran will probably need an even better performance than at Wimbledon close to three years ago.
Swiatek loves the conditions in Indian Wells and has improved with every match. The six-time Major champion’s best level is better than Svitolina’s, and I think she will successfully use the momentum built from previous rounds.
Prediction: Swiatek in 2
Elena Rybakina vs Jessica Pegula
Head-to-head: Rybakina 4-3 Pegula
Rybakina defeated Hailey Baptiste and Marta Kostyuk in her opening two matches before Sonay Kartal retired at 4-6 3-4 down to the Kazakhstani. Pegula recovered from the losing opening set against Donna Vekic and Jelena Ostapenko with calm and composed performances. That was followed by a 6-3 7-6 success over Belinda Bencic.
The two-time Grand Slam winner has won her last three meetings against Pegula, including in the semifinal of her 2025 WTA Finals and 2026 Australian Open title runs. Pegula will benefit from having a better chance of returning Rybakina’s serve with her impressive return in the slow Indian Wells conditions.
However, Rybakina’s serve is so good that she can do damage with it anywhere. Pegula’s serve has been excellent this season and is her most improved shot, but the sluggish and high-bouncing court might actually harm her more. The American also generally prefers faster hard courts, which is another reason Rybakina starts as the most likely winner.
Prediction: Rybakina in 3
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