Elina Svitolina stunned Iga Swiatek over three sets to reach just her second Indian Wells semi-final on Thursday.

Svitolina, who had only ever beaten the world number two once before, had to dig deep to earn her 6-2 4-6 6-4 victory in two hours and nine minutes.

The first set saw four breaks of serve, with Svitolina responsible for three of those as she took the lead with a dominant performance.

Swiatek fought back in the second, holding off the attempted fightback from the Ukrainian to force a decider.

But Svitolina regained the edge in the third set, getting a vital break in the penultimate game before serving out the match to love to reach the final four.

"There is no champion who is waiting for mistakes," Svitolina said of her mindset. "And you really have to try to set yourself up in a good position to attack.

"I was feeling good, and I was trying to really, you know, open up the court and try to take advantage, because Iga is such an aggressive player, and she moves really well.

"So, if you don't take the opportunity at the right time, she's going to take it."

5 - Iga Swiatek has lost five consecutive meetings against top-10 opponents for the first time in her career. Stop.#TennisParadise | @BNPPARIBASOPEN @WTA pic.twitter.com/2p56RLMSTI

— OptaAce (@OptaAce) March 13, 2026

Svitolina will face Elena Rybakina for a place in the final, with the world number three beating Jessica Pegula in straight sets.

After cruising through the first set, Rybakina held her nerve in a second-set tie-break to earn her 6-1 7-6 (7-4) victory.

Since 2000, Rybakina has become the fifth player to claim 11+ consecutive wins over WTA top-10 opponents after Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Justine Henin and Swiatek.

Data Debrief: Svitolina stays in her groove

Svitolina has become the player with the longest gap (seven years, 2019-2026) between her first two semi-finals at Indian Wells since the tournament's inception in 1989, equalling Na Li (2007-2014).

She has also made her four WTA-level semi-finals in the first three months of the calendar year for the first time in her career – she also has the most in 2026.

As for Swiatek, she has lost five consecutive meetings against top-10 opponents for the first time in her career.