No. 3 seed Mirra Andreeva stormed into the semifinals at the WTA Finals, winning the final 11 games to defeat No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus 6-4, 6-0 on Wednesday in Indian Wells, Calif.
Sabalenka appeared in control after breaking for a 4-1 advantage in the opening set, but the Russian seized command from there. The 19-year-old Andreeva won 20 of the next 23 points to take the set, then blanked Sabalenka in the second to finish the victory in just 62 minutes.
Andreeva won 45 of the final 55 points overall while producing 16 winners against only six unforced errors. She improved to 2-0 in Group 2 and secured first place with one round-robin match remaining.
“I’m even happier than I was after my first match. I feel like I could play another two matches. I’m so full of energy. I’m so pumped up. I’m so happy,” Andreeva said.
The French Open champion became the youngest WTA Finals semifinalist since Caroline Wozniacki in 2009. After also beating No. 6 Elina Svitolina 6-4, 6-0 in her tournament debut, Andreeva is the first player to record a 6-0 set in each of her first two matches at the event.
Andreeva has dropped only eight games through her first two matches in Indian Wells, winning both in straight sets. She has also finished each victory by taking the final six games, beating Svitolina 6-4, 6-0 before producing an even more dramatic closing run against Sabalenka to take control of the group.
Sabalenka fell to 1-1 and will face Svitolina on Friday with the other Group 2 semifinal berth at stake.
Svitolina kept herself alive earlier Wednesday by rallying past No. 7 Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic 3-6, 6-2, 6-2.
Muchova controlled the opening set with her variety and ability to move forward, but Svitolina found her rhythm in the second. The Ukrainian broke twice to force a deciding set, then added two more breaks in the third while dropping only four games over the final two sets.
“It was important just to try to find my game,” Svitolina said. “I was really unhappy with the first set. I tried to put my head down and find the small openings. In the end, I think that the third set was a better level.”
The comeback ended Muchova’s 32-0 record this season when winning the opening set. Svitolina improved to 19-5 in three-set matches and earned her first WTA Finals victory since 2019.
Muchova fell to 0-2 and was eliminated from semifinal contention when Andreeva later defeated Sabalenka.
–Field Level Media
