Mirra Andreeva beat Elina Svitolina to set up a semifinal clash with World No.2 Iga Swiatek at the Indian Wells Open.
Mirra Andreeva, Roger Federer (Image via X)
Mirra Andreeva is in the Indian Wells semifinals. On Thursday (March 13), Andreeva knocked out Elina Svitolina 7-5, 6-3 to reach the last four for the first time in the tournament.
Andreeva had made her Indian Wells debut last year but was knocked out of the first round. She is yet to drop a set this year in the California desert but was tested by the Ukrainian during the first set.
She converted four break points against Svitolina and saved five of the six break points. Following her win, the Russian revealed that she was remembering 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer mid-match.
I think everyone feels nervous but it just depends on how you manage it! And today, I was facing a lot of breakpoints and I just told myself āPeople are expecting me to be like a champion so try to act like oneā. When I was returning, I was trying to remember Roger Federer in my mind and go for my shots. Thatās how I deal with the pressure points.
Mirra Andreeva said during the on-court interview
The Swiss maestro retired at the 2022 Laver Cup. He, along with Novak Djokovic, has won five Indian Wells titles, the most in Menās tennis.
With the win in the quarterfinals, Andreeva extended her winning streak to 10 matches. Prior to the semifinals, she had also defeated 2023 Indian Wells champion Elena Rybakina in the fourth round. Her victory over Svitolina is also her 27th career win at the WTA 1000 level which is the most for a player before turning 18.
Mirra Andreeva is expecting a great match against Iga Swiatek
Mirra Andreeva arrived at Indian Wells on the back of a successful campaign in the Dubai Open. En route to her win over Clara Tauson in the final, the 17-year-old knocked out World No.2 Iga Swiatek 6-3, 6-3 in the quarterfinals. Andreeva, however, claimed that the win over the Pole was not beneficial for her and that she would look forward to the upcoming match.
It was my first win over her. You know, it doesnāt give me any benefit to our match tomorrow, because what happened, happened; and the past is in the past. Tomorrow is going to be a new day, new match, new conditions, new country. Everything is different. You know, I am going to try my best to prepare tomorrow, and I am sure that the match is going to be great because our head-to-head is one-all.
Mirra Andreeva said at the press conference
The Indian Wells semifinal will be their third meeting on the WTA Tour following the 2024 Cincinnati Open quarterfinals and their clash in Dubai. Swiatek had secured a hard-fought victory over the Russian when they met in Cincinnati.
Swiatek, before setting up the clash with the teenager, got her revenge on Qinwen Zheng. The five-time Grand Slam winner is a defending champion in this WTA 1000 tournament and also lifted the trophy in 2022.
The winner of the semifinal will meet World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka or 2025 Australian Open champion Madison Keys, both of who are searching for their second title of the season and their first in the tennis paradise.
Mirra Andreeva reaches consecutive WTA 1000 semifinals
Mirra Andreeva is into her second WTA 1000 semifinals on the trot following the Dubai Open. This made her the youngest player to reach multiple semifinals in the WTA 1000 level.
Andreeva is the youngest to progress to consecutive semifinals of WTA 1000 events since Victoria Azarenka in 2009. She is also the youngest player to have a double-digit win streak in two decades since Nicole Vaidisova in 2005.
