Iga Swiatek has shared her delight at playing doubles with Casper Ruud on the eve of Indian Wells.
The Indian Wells main draw is now underway, but beforehand many singles stars paired up to play in the Eisenhower Cup.
Fans packed into Stadium 2 at Tennis Paradise in California, where Taylor Fritz and Elena Rybakina successfully defended their title.
The duo defeated Learner Tien and Amanda Anisimova 10-7 in the final of the event, after which Swiatek messaged her playing partner Ruud.
Iga Swiatek thanks Casper Ruud after Eisenhower Cup appearance
Sharing images of the exhibition tournament on her Instagram, Swiatek posted the message: “Well, this was so much fun.
“We gave it our best. Thank you Casper Ruud you always make it a great time.”
Ruud shared a similar message of his own, posting on his Instagram: “Great crowd, great partner, fun night.”
Swiatek and Ruud defeated Canadian pair Leylah Fernandez and Felix Auger-Aliassime 10-6 in the quarterfinals, before losing 10-3 in their semifinal with Rybakina and Fritz.
2026 Eisenhower Cup full results
The star-studded Eisenhower Cup field was filled with home talent, from eventual champion Fritz to young talent Tien.
Also taking part in the event, which has been an annual tradition since 2019, were the likes of American WTA stars Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro.
The Eisenhower Cup has comprised a mixed doubles format since 2022, and involves a Tie Break Tens scoring system.
Quarter-finals
- Andreeva/Bublik 11-9 Pegula/Paul
- Anisimova/Tien 10-3 Navarro/Shelton
- Rybakina/Fritz 10-5 Paolini/Berrettini
- Swiatek/Ruud 10-6 Fernandez/Auger-Aliassime
Semi-finals
- Anisimova/Tien 10-3 Andreeva/Bublik
- Rybakina/Fritz 10-3 Swiatek/Ruud
Final
- Rybakina/Fritz 10-7 Anisimova/Tien
Fritz and Rybakina claimed the winner-take-all $200k prize purse, with all proceeds from the event going to charity.
Much to the delight of those in attendance, the high-quality action was also interspersed with funny moments and players showing that they are indeed human after all.
Alexander Bublik did his best to showcase his best underarm serve, Jasmine Paolini missed an easy overhead, while Swiatek and Ruud bumped into each other after a clear miscommunication.
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