For Świątek, who had a bye in the 1st round, the match played on Friday night Polish time was the first bout of this year's prestigious Californian tournament. The 23-year old Pole broke Garcia's serve in the first game already, and quickly dominated the rival.
The Polish vice-leader of the WTA ranking applied bold tactics, often deciding to play at the net - and concluded the match in just 63 minutes, dropping no game in the second set.
"I tried to stay focused and base my game on intuition. Today it was a bit windy, so I had to position myself well for the balls" - Świątek said in an on-court post-match interview. She thanked the attending Polish fans, expressing hope that they would stay with her until the end of the tournament.
In the 3rd round, the Pole will face-off against Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska, whom she eliminated in the 1/8 finals of the tournament in Dubai last month.
Świątek triumphed at Indian Wells in 2022 and 2024 - and if she succeeds this year, she will become first player ever to win this American tournament thrice. The 2025 edition is set to conclude on March 16.
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Source: PAP, IAR