Zheng Qinwen sets up quarterfinal contest against Iga Swiatek at BNP Paribas Open

Zheng Qinwen of China stormed into the BNP Paribas Open women's singles quarterfinals with a decisive 6-3, 6-2 victory over Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine in Monday's round of 16 clash at Indian Wells, marking her first career appearance in the last eight at this event and seventh of her career at the WTA 1,000 level.

The eighth-seeded Chinese star took just 80 minutes to dispatch her 18th-seeded Ukrainian opponent.

"I needed to balance controlled aggression today," Zheng said. "Kostyuk was more aggressive but she also had more unforced errors. I wasn't playing at my best level but it was enough for me to advance."

The breakthrough followed a turbulent start to the season for Zheng, who navigated injury concerns and coaching adjustments before reuniting with Spanish mentor Pere Riba.

"Riba's return shifted our focus from physical limitations to court execution. We've intensified training loads while eliminating excessive injury talk – that mental freedom translates to better movement during matches," Zheng added.

Zheng's quarterfinal challenge will come against World No. 2 and four-time Grand Slam winner Iga Swiatek of Poland in their eighth career meeting. Zheng's only victory over Swiatek was in the semifinals of the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics on her way to claiming the gold medal.

In women's doubles action at Indian Wells, Chinese veteran Zhang Shuai and partner Hsieh Su-wei of Chinese Taipei advanced to the semifinals with a straight-sets victory over Jeļena Ostapenko of Latvia and Ellen Perez of Australia 7-5, 6-4.