Swiatek and Medvedev advance in a rain-delayed round of 16 at Indian Wells

Poland's Iga Swiatek and Russia's Daniil Medvedev secured their spots in the quarterfinals of the Indian Wells tournament on Tuesday, a day that was interrupted multiple times by rain.

Swiatek's match, which kicked off the two-day round of 16, was delayed by nearly an hour due to intermittent rain in this desert town in California.

Seizing a break in the sun, world number two Iga Swiatek defeated Czech Karolina Muchova (15) 6-1, 6-1 in just 57 minutes of breathtaking tennis."

A winner in 2022 and 2024, Swiatek is now three wins away from becoming the first player to claim three championship titles in the history of this WTA 1000 tournament.

On Tuesday, she wasted no time showcasing the dominant tennis that has carried her through the tournament, not dropping a set and conceding only six games to her three opponents.

With one eye on the sky, Swiatek kept up the pace, eager to finish her match quickly against the former Roland Garros runner-up.

"In the last two games I was already a bit slippery, but I wanted to finish," she said. "I played more risky, but the shots kept going in (...) I'm glad I finished before the rain comes back."

Swiatek's next opponent will be China's Zheng Qinwen, her rival in the semifinals of the Paris Olympics. The world number nine defeated Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk in the evening, securing a fast-track victory.

Andreeva continues to amaze

Swiatek's was not the only masterclass in the women's tournament.

Seventeen-year-old Russia's Mirra Andreeva dominated Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina 6-1, 6-2 to become the youngest player to reach the quarters since her compatriot Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in 2009.

Rybakina, the 2023 champion, struggled with her serving, her best weapon, and couldn't adjust to the nearly one-hour rain delay.

Andreeva, the rising star of women's tennis, already had the formula to defeat the former Wimbledon champion, having eliminated her in Dubai, where she became the youngest-ever winner of a WTA 1000 tournament.

Conchita Martinez's protege, who has won nine matches in a row, will face Ukraine's Elina Svitolina in the semifinals, after Svitolina earlier defeated local Jessica Pegula in three sets.

"It was definitely not easy with this rain, stopping and starting. I warmed up about 10 times today," Svitolina said.

Medvedev takes another firm step

In the men's Masters 1000, Daniil Medvedev delivered a strong performance, defeating local Tommy Paul 6-4, 6-0 in a match that started four hours late."

The former world number one triumphed in a strange first set, in which Paul managed to level at 4-4 after losing the first four games.

The American ultimately fell victim to his 31 unforced errors, twice as many as his opponent, and failed to get the revenge he had hoped for after his defeat in last year's semifinals.

The Muscovite will now face French up-and-comer Arthur Fils, who, at 20, will make his Masters 1000 quarter-final debut after defeating American Marcos Giron on Tuesday.

Tsitsipas surrenders to Rune

Medvedev, who lost the last two finals to Carlos Alcaraz, once again looks like the main threat to the Spanish star's bid for a third consecutive title.

Both are among the few remaining players in the ATP top 10, from which Stefanos Tsitsipas dropped out on Tuesday.

The Greek, who resumed his winning form in Dubai (ATP 500) in February, was defeated 6-4, 6-4 by the young Dane Holger Rune, who was more precise in the key moments.