Simona Halep vs Iga Swiatek Odds & Prediction – WTA Indian Wells Semifinals
- After a day off, Iga Swiatek and Simona Halep meet in the first WTA Indian Wells semifinal Friday, March 17
- It’s the first meeting between the two outside a Grand Slam tournament; Halep leads the head-to-head 2-1
- Read on as we analyze their road to the final four in the California desert, and make some predictions
Iga Swiatek has been the highest seed in the draw since No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka went out in her opening match last week.
And she has worn it well, looking like a potential champion more and more with each win.
Halep vs Swiatek Odds
| Player | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| [24] Simona Halep (ROU) | +3.5 (-125) | +150 | O 21.5 (-110) |
| [3] Iga Swiatek (POL) | -3.5 (-110) | -190 | U 21.5 (-125) |
Odds as of March 17. See these BetMGM promo codes before you bet on these odds.
But in truth, Halep has looked just as dangerous.
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Halep’s Best Match of This Year
The 30-year-old Romanian had a bit of a purple match in the middle set of an opening win over Ekaterina Alexandrova.
But then she dismissed No. 16 Coco Gauff and No. 26 seed Sorana Cirstea in straight sets.
And then she absolutely destroyed Petra Martic, who had taken two seeds out of Halep’s way – including, notably, No. 11 Emma Raducanu.
“I think probably the best match of this year. I felt super well. And I felt confident. I’ve been aggressive. Everything I had to do I did, and it was pretty good,” Halep said after the 6-1, 6-1 victory over Martic. “I feel that my game is coming back to the level that I’ve been probably the best version of myself a few years ago.”
Swiatek Also Looking Dangerous
Halep said Swiatek was playing “the best tennis of her life”.
Which is saying something. Because the Polish star, then just turning 19, issued a 6-1, 6-2 beatdown to Halep in the fourth round of the 2020 French Open.
And Swiatek ended up winning the entire tournament, launching herself into the upper stratosphere of women’s tennis.
This will be the fourth meeting and their first that isn’t taking place at a Grand Slam tournament.
Halep won the most recent one, a comeback three-set win in the fourth round of the 2021 Australian Open.
Halep vs Swiatek Head-to-Head
| 30 (Sept. 26, 1991) | Age | 20 (May 30, 2001) |
| Constanta, Romania | Birthplace | Warsaw, Poland |
| 5-6 | Height | 5-9 |
| 23 | Career WTA Singles Titles | 4 |
| 2 | Career Grand Slam Titles | 1 |
| No. 1 (Oct. 8, 2017) | Career High Ranking | No. 4 (Sept. 26, 2021) |
| No. 26 | Current Ranking | No. 4 |
| $38,288,536 | Career Prize Money | $5,961,473 |
| 15-3 | 2022 Won/Loss record | 18-3 |
| 2 | Career Head to Head | 1 |
Swiatek Building Momentum
Swiatek got off to a slow start in her first three matches. She dropped the first set in both before coming back to win.
But against American Madison Keys, who can beat anyone on the day even if she hasn’t done it often lately, Swiatek could do no wrong.
She wrapped up the 6-1, 6-0 victory in 56 minutes, winning 56 points to just 25 points for Keys.
Keys on Swiatek: "Jessie and I were actually talking about [her movement] in the middle of our doubles. Her ability to slide into everything is incredible. .
"I think she's very good, and there's a reason she's winning matches that she's winning.”#IndianWells pic.twitter.com/skQEHVTIcf
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) March 16, 2022
Keys managed to win just four points (out of 25) on Swiatek’s first serve.
You would expect Halep to do a lot better than that.
Halep vs Swiatek Match History
| Year | Tournament | Surface | Score | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Australian Open (R16) | Outdoor Hard | 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 | Halep |
| 2020 | French Open (R16) | Outdoor Clay | 6-1, 6-2 | Swiatek |
| 2019 | French Open (R16) | Outdoor Clay | 6-1, 6-0 | Halep |
The match, then, will be between two superb movers.
Swiatek’s explosiveness on offensive is probably better. And she serves harder.
Halep, the 2015 Indian Wells Champion
Halep’s defense is superior. And she has great history on the slow courts at Indian Wells in California, including the title in 2015 and several other deep runs.
Swiatek only made her main-draw debut at Indian Wells last October – and she did it as the world No. 4 and No. 2 seed. She lost in qualifying in her only previous appearance in 2019.
Jelena Ostapenko defeated her in straight sets in the round of 16, as the end of 2021 proved to be a rather difficult one for Swiatek. But she has bounced back in 2022.
With Halep feeling as good as she is, and with her confidence both in herself and in the conditions in the California desert on point, Swiatek will have her biggest challenge of the week.
She can win. But she has to keep her cool (not always a given when she’s being pushed by a very good player). And she has to hope for a few dips in focus from Halep.
In contrast to some of the blowouts in the last few rounds on the women’s side, this one feels … very competitive and the best tennis betting tip may be for a three-setter.
Best Bet: A Three-Setter (+140)
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Stephanie gets the straight dope from the tennis insiders. On court, she has represented her country internationally. A BA in journalism led to years on the MLB beat and a decade covering tennis globally. She's written for Postmedia, the Guardian, the New York Times and also publishes OpenCourt.ca.
