Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva ended the defending champion Iga Swiatek‘s quest for a historic third Indian Wells title, defeating the world quantity two 7-6 (1), 1-6, 6-Three on Friday to advance to the ultimate.
At simply 17, Andreeva snapped Swiatek’s 10-match profitable streak at Indian Wells, marking her second victory over the Polish star in three weeks—having beforehand triumphed in Dubai’s quarter-finals en path to turning into the youngest WTA 1000 champion ever.
Go Past The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
On Sunday, Andreeva will face Aryna Sabalenka, who dominated Australian Open champion Madison Keys. The American veteran Keys had denied Sabalenka a 3rd consecutive title in Melbourne, the place she claimed her first main in January.
Andreeva is the youngest finalist at Indian Wells since Kim Clijsters, who was 17 in 2001.
Within the match towards Swiatek, Andreeva showcased her abilities within the first set tiebreaker and managed to regroup after a difficult second set.
Though Swiatek began confidently, dropping just one level in her first three service video games, Andreeva seized a 5-Four lead with a vital break, benefiting from a double fault by Swiatek. The match proceeded to a tiebreaker the place Andreeva dominated.
“I felt like I am gonna go and play the tiebreak prefer it’s the final tiebreak of my life,” she stated. “So I simply went for all my pictures. My serve was nice. I simply felt tremendous comfy and assured,” she stated.
“I noticed my mother’s nervous face within the massive display screen,” Andreeva advised the group. “I attempted to not look there.”
Regardless of Swiatek rebounding within the second set with three breaks, the momentum shifted again to Andreeva within the third. She finally secured victory together with her third break of the set.
“I simply determined to sort of nonetheless play the identical however perhaps go for my pictures extra, attempting to play a bit bit extra aggressive,” she stated.
“I really feel additionally that I used to be coping with the nerves and the strain fairly good, so I simply really feel happy with myself.”
Sabalenka trounces Keys in Australian Open re-match
World primary Aryna Sabalenka dispatched Madison Keys 6-0, 6-1 to succeed in the Indian Wells closing, avenging her loss to the fifth-ranked American within the Australian Open closing.
In simply 51 minutes, Sabalenka arrange a title match towards Andreeva.
The Belarusian, in search of revenge after her January defeat to Keys, was sharp from the beginning, finishing the primary set in simply 23 minutes.
“I used to be hungry,” stated Sabalenka, who had made no bones about wanting revenge. “That Australian Open match was actually heartbroken for me, and I actually wanted a while to get well after that.
“And if I might lose right now once more, it might get in my head and I did not need that to occur. I used to be actually targeted — I used to be simply actually hungry to get this win towards Madison.”
Keys, who had a 16-match profitable streak culminating in her Australian Open victory, struggled to make an affect.
“I feel tactically I performed actually nice tennis,” stated Sabalenka, including her technique was to “simply preserve her out of the rhythm”.
Regardless of overcoming the chilly, swirling winds on Stadium Court docket and profitable the primary 11 video games, Sabalenka’s dominance was clear. Keys managed to carry serve for the primary time at 5-1 within the second set, however Sabalenka rapidly closed out the match.
This marks Sabalenka’s second look within the Indian Wells closing; she was the runner-up to Elena Rybakina in 2023.
Get the newest IPL 2025 updates on Instances of India, together with match schedules, workforce squads, and reside scores for CSK, MI, RCB, KKR, SRH, LSG, DC, GT, PBKS, and RR. Discover out tips on how to watch IPL 2025 in Canada and the USA.
