The Russian teenager and the ninth-seeded Mirra Andreeva defeated the defending champion and the second-seeded Iga Swiatek (Poland) by 2-1 (7:6(1), 1:6 6:3) in the semifinals and qualified for the final of the tennis tournament WTA 1000 Indian Wells Open.
In the match for the trophy, Mirra Andreeva will face the top-seeded and worlds number one Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus), who defeated the fifth-seeded Madison Keys (USA), thus taking the revenge by losing the Australian Open’s final, by 2-0 (6:0, 6:1).
The 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva demonstrates great potential this season and aims for another title from the WTA 1000 series after her triumph in Dubai last month.
“The match was really difficult, and the conditions were difficult”, said the Russian tennis player, adding: “I tried to hold on. It wasn’t easy, but I’m very happy with the victory and I can’t wait to play in the final on Sunday”.
Mirra Andreeva led 5:4 in the first set, but had to go through the tiebreak to win it. Iga Swiatek was categorical in the second set and straight, but in the third part the Polish tennis player fell behind with 1:4 and withdrew in the match.
“After she literally killed me in the second set, I thought to myself – okay, I’ll just try to get over it”, said Mirra Andreeva. “I couldn’t do much about it, she played amazingly. I just decided to fight for every point. In the end, it wasn’t all that bad”, added she.
Former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez, who reached the Indian Wells Open final twice during her competitive career, is the coach of the ninth-seeded player. “I know that my coach lost in the final, so I will try to be better than her”, comments Mirra Andreeva with a laugh.
The loss ended five-time major champion Iga Swiatek’s bid to become the first woman to win the Southern California tournament three times.
In the second semi-final, Aryna Sabalenka was merciless against Madison Keys and needed only 52 minutes to avenge her loss to the American in the final in Australia in January.
“I didn’t expect this match to be so fast, but I’m super happy. Much needed revenge”, said the Belarusian tennis player.
Three-time Grand Slam champion Aryna Sabalenka, who reached the final of Indian Wales Open in 2023, said she is looking forward to playing against Mir Andreev.
“It feels like an old mother playing with a child. I’m older than her at the age of nine? So she’s two years younger than my sister, and I look at my sister as a child. That’s crazy”, added the 26-year-old Aryna Sabalenka.
