Mirra Andreeva stunned defending champion Iga Swiatek to secure a spot in the BNP Paribas Open final. Fresh off her first WTA 1000 title in Dubai, the 17-year-old sensation battled for 2 hours and 18 minutes to claim a 7-6(1) 1-6 6-3 victory. She now faces world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who powered past Madison Keys to reach the title match.
With Sabalenka holding a dominant head-to-head record, including a crushing win over Andreeva in Melbourne, the teenager will be looking for revenge.
Struggling to understand how she went from dominating the tiebreak against Swiatek to unraveling in the second set, Andreeva was left uncertain about what had happened: “The second set, it was a bit weird, but I can say that I really tried to do something. I just felt like she overplayed me, because she was playing pretty deep with good height over the net. It was really hard to do something with these shots. So I just tried to hang in there.”
As temperatures dropped from chilly to cold over the first two sets, the young Russian took an off-court break and returned in a fresh long-sleeved shirt, ready to regain her rhythm. “I decided to still play the same but maybe go for my shots more, trying to play a little bit more aggressive, and in the end, you know, I got the win, so I feel great,” she explained. “I feel also that I was dealing with the nerves and the pressure pretty good, so I just feel proud of myself.”
In the second semifinal, Aryna Sabalenka wasted no time escaping the cold, dispatching Madison Keys 6-0 6-1 in just 52 minutes. The American struggled to adapt to the windy conditions and never found her footing in the match. As the Belarusian later explained, her strategy was straightforward: “Keep her out of the rhythm. Don’t give her fast balls so she’s not in a good rhythm of her shots and stay low.”
The victory was a meaningful grudge match for the top seed, after the devastating loss to Keys in the Australian Open final: “I needed this revenge badly, so I was really focused and I think tactically I played really great tennis. I would say that today was a bit opposite. I played great at the beginning, and she kind of lost her rhythm and she couldn’t play her best tennis. I think that’s why the match went so fast. So at the Australian, I played really bad and she played great. Let’s just call it tennis.”
Looking ahead to the Indian Wells final, the 26-year-old Sabalenka holds a 4-1 lead in her head-to-head against Andreeva, including a dominant 6-2 6-1 victory in their most recent encounter. This time, however, it’s Andreeva who will be seeking revenge. “I can say she almost killed me, especially in Melbourne,” Andreeva admitted. “I’m gonna try to take a revenge, because I still have nothing to lose, and I feel like the match is going to be probably entertaining. There is going to be a lot of, I think, a lot of winners, a lot of great points.”
The women’s singles final will be played on Sunday morning at 11 AM local time. Can Andreeva pull off another upset, or will Sabalenka’s power and experience prove too much? All eyes will be on the final as the two face off for the Indian Wells crown.
Women’s Tennis Blog