Now that’s a match I definitely won’t miss!!

Fate can be mischievous sometimes. Just a few weeks after having taken down the world number two in the quarterfinals in Doha, Maria once again finds herself standing in the Pole’s way. That previous match is still on everyone’s mind, especially the Greek’s, who proved she has the weapons to unsettle the Polish metronome.

In her opening match, Maria first had to tame a palpable nervousness against young Austrian wild card Lilli Tagger, before rolling out boss-like tennis. She seems to have found again the serenity that had been missing in recent months, carried by renewed confidence in her groundstrokes. On the other side of the net, Iga experienced the opposite scenario against Kayla Day. After a lightning-fast first set where she seemed untouchable, she suddenly lost her grip, finding herself down five games to one in the second set before pulling off a spectacular comeback.

The clash of styles promises to be electric. Maria will look to impose a full-on physical battle, using her topspin to trouble Iga and not hesitating to come to the net to finish points, just as David Witt asks of her. Iga, eager for revenge after her loss in Qatar, will have to show greater consistency so as not to let Maria settle into a rhythm that suits her. The Pole knows she cannot afford the same lapses in focus as in her previous match, or she risks seeing the desert turn into a mirage.

It’s a battle for territory: Iga wants to prove she is still the boss of the big tournaments, while Mariya wants to confirm that her recent bogeywoman status was not just a one-off. In the dry air of Indian Wells, every rally will be a test of mental strength.