Iga Swiatek isn’t hitting the panic button in the wake of her disappointing exit from the BNP Paribas Open 2026 at Indian Wells, continuing her underwhelming start to the season. She was sent packing by Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals on Thursday, March 12.

While Swiatek did manage to push Svitolina to three sets, she looked far from her best. She missed routine shots, her serve was all over the place, and she was wrong-footed quite often. This marked the first time she failed to reach the semifinals at Indian Wells since her fourth-round exit in 2021.

Swiatek had a chat with Canal+ Sport following her loss to Svitolina, and rebuffed any concerns regarding a slump. She attributed her latest defeat to just a singular bad day in office, coupled with a change in conditions.

“It’s hard to explain this dip in form, just a bad day. I don’t know if Stadium 2 was faster but my timing was off, whereas in previous days I didn’t even have to work on it because I felt the court and the ball so well. Today was different. Now I need to prepare for the next tournament and fight there. A QF is a solid result, but as you said, it’s not what we’re aiming for,” Iga Swiatek said (translated from Polish by X user @LukasFCB321).

Aside from the United Cup, which was a team event, Swiatek hasn’t progressed beyond the quarterfinals of any other tournament this year. She will aim to break this streak at her next tournament, the Miami Open.

Iga Swiatek vying to turn her season around at the Miami Open 2026

Iga Swiatek will wrap up the early hardcourt swing at the Miami Open 2026. The season’s fourth WTA 1000 will run from March 17-29. She won the title in Miami in 2022, her first and only triumph in the Sunshine State thus far.

Swiatek also completed the “Sunshine Double” with her victory in Miami back then, having claimed the title in Indian Wells prior to that. She couldn’t defend her title in 2023 due to an injury, and made the fourth round in 2024 and the quarterfinals a year ago.

A deep run at the Miami Open could also help Swiatek regain the No. 2 ranking. Once the WTA rankings are updated on Monday, March 16, she will be ranked No. 3, trading place with Elena Rybakina, who moved up a spot thanks to her run to the final at Indian Wells.