Caroline Garcia clinched her second win of 2025 after beating Bernarda Pera 6-3 6-4 in the Indian Wells first round and now the Frenchwoman is set for a second-round meeting against defending champion Iga Swiatek.
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Going into the BNP Paribas Open, the 2021 WTA Finals champion had been just 1-4 on the year.
But today, Garcia - who is currently ranked at No. 71 in the world - never trailed and managed to get the job done in two sets.
In the first set, the former world No. 4, claimed a break in the second game and then just held on to her serve for the remainder of the opener.
Up by a set, she was also twice up by a break in the second set but Pera twice managed to get the break back.
However, Garcia stayed calm and collected another break in the ninth game for a 5-4 lead before serving out for the match in the following game.
Garcia has one win against Swiatek but that one came in style
Heading into their Indian Wells clash, the five-time Grand Slam winner leads the head-to-head 4-1.
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After losing to the current world No. 2 in 2019 Cincinnati, the Frenchwoman stunned the Pole 6-1 1-6 6-4 in the 2022 Warsaw quarterfinal.
That year, Swiatek was 18-0 on clay and she was the top-ranked player on the Tour.
"It was a very important match and I tried to be ready for it," Garcia said after upsetting the Polish star in front of her home fans.
"I started very strong, putting a lot of pressure on her. As soon as I got a bit lower-intensity, she came back very strong, and thats what is happening against a top player.
"I stayed positive, I kept believing in my game and the way I wanted to play, and the third set was definitely very good tennis."
Since then, they have played three times, with each of the meetings coming on hard and Swiatek ending on the winning side.
