 | « Back to article | Print this article |
Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva beat defending champion Iga Swiatek 7-6(1), 1-6, 6-3 on Friday to reach the Indian Wells final where she will face top seed Aryna Sabalenka, who avenged her Australian Open final loss to Madison Keys with a 6-0 6-1 rout.
Andreeva, 17, has shown enormous potential this season and now has her sights set on back-to-back WTA 1000 titles following her triumph in Dubai last month.
"Really tough match, tough conditions," she told reporters.
"I tried to really hang in there. It was not easy, but I'm super happy with the win today and I can't wait to play finals on Sunday."
After a tight first set, Andreeva was flawless in the tiebreak, leaning over and letting out a roar when she enticed a forehand error from Swiatek on set point.
The Polish second seed stormed back in the second set, breaking in the first game and levelling the contest when Andreeva's backhand went wide.
Andreeva, who was studying handwritten notes during the changeovers, grabbed the momentum back by breaking to open the third set as temperatures in the California desert plummeted and the wind picked up.
She ripped a forehand winner to go up 3-1 as the frustration began to take hold for Swiatek, who dumped a backhand into the net on match point.
"After she literally killed me in the second set I thought, okay, I'll just try to fight," Andreeva said on court.
"There is not much I could do about it, she was playing amazing. I just decided to fight for every point.
"It doesn't matter how I put the ball in but I have to put it in. In the end it wasn't too bad."
The ninth seed is coached by former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez, who reached the Indian Wells finals twice during her playing days.
"I know that my coach lost in the finals so I'm going to try to be better than her," said Andreeva with a laugh.
The loss ends five-time major champion Swiatek's bid to become the first woman to win the tournament in the Southern California desert three times.
A ruthless Sabalenka needed just 52 minutes to get pay back for her loss to Keys in the Melbourne Park final in January.
A Keys double fault handed Sabalenka a 4-0 lead in the opener and the Belarusian rolled through the set with ease despite windy conditions.
The crowd erupted when Keys won her first game of the match to cut Sabalenka's lead to 5-1 in the second but that would be it for the American, who hit a backhand into the net on match point.
"I didn't expect that match to be that fast but I'm super happy," Sabalenka said.
"Much needed revenge."
Three-time Grand Slam champion Sabalenka, who reached the Indian Wells final in 2023, said she was looking forward to playing the teenager.
"It feels like old mama playing against the kid," said 26-year-old Sabalenka.
"I'm like what, nine years older than her? She is two years younger than my sister and I look at my sister as a kid. It's crazy."
Revenge is also on the mind of Andreeva, who lost to the Belarusian in straight sets in the fourth round of the Australian Open.
"I'm going to try to take revenge because I still have nothing to lose," she said.
"I feel like the match is going to be entertaining. There are going to be a lot of winners, a lot of great points."
