INDIAN WELLS (AFP) — Russian teen Mirra Andreeva ended defending champion Iga Swiatek’s bid for an unprecedented third Indian Wells women’s title, toppling the world No. 2 7-6 (7/1), 1-6, 6-3 on Friday to reach the final.
Andreeva, 17, ended Swiatek’s 10-match Indian Wells winning streak, beating the Polish star for the second time in three weeks after toppling her in the quarterfinals at Dubai on the way to becoming the youngest ever WTA 1000 champion.
She will have a chance at another of the prestigious titles on Sunday when she takes on the winner of another semifinal grudge match between world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who beat Australian Open champion Madison Keys in the other semifinal pairing, 6-0, 6-1.
Sabalenka needed just 51 minutes to advance to the final against the Russian youngster.
The Belarusian admitted she was out for revenge after Keys denied her a third straight Australian Open crown and she was dialed in from the first ball, roaring through the first set in 23 minutes.
Keys was riding a 16-match winning streak that included a victory in Adelaide before her maiden major in Melbourne, but the fifth-ranked American couldn’t get a foot in the door.
Sabalenka was untroubled by the cold, swirling wind on Stadium Court, winning the first 11 games before the mis-firing Keys held serve for 5-1 in the second.
The American lifted her arms toward her box, where her husband and coach Bjorn Fratangelo was trying to offer support, but minutes later Sabalenka had sealed the win.
Sabalenka is in the Indian Wells final for the second time. She was runner-up to Elena Rybakina in 2023.
On the other hand, Andreeva is the youngest Indian Wells finalist since 17-year-old Kim Clijsters in 2001.
The world No. 11 stymied Swiatek in a dominant first set tiebreaker and regrouped after Swiatek steam-rolled through the second set on another cold, blustery evening on Stadium Court.
Swiatek, who hadn’t dropped a set in her prior 10 match wins in the California desert, looked supremely confident as she dropped just one point in her first three service games.
But Andreeva claimed the first break of the match for a 5-4 lead, Swiatek opening the door with a double fault and a forehand into the net before firing a forehand crosscourt wide.
Swiatek broke back in the next game and they went to the tiebreaker, where Andreeva opened with a stinging backhand crosscourt winner to launch a dominant display.
Swiatek put her frustrations aside and broke Andreeva to open the second set, breaking her twice more as the Russian’s errors multiplied under pressure from her opponent.
“I saw my mom’s nervous face on the big screen,” Andreeva told the crowd.
“I tried not to look there.”
But the roles reversed again when Andreeva broke Swiatek to open the third and she sealed the victory with her third break of the set.