Photo: Instagram.com/Mirra Andreeva
Mirra Andreeva defeats World No 2 Iga Swiatek, advances to Dubai semis
The 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva pulled off a stunning 6-3, 6-3 win against world No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the quarter-finals of the Dubai Duty Free Championships.
With this win, she advanced to the semi-finals. Meanwhile, Swiatek became the latest top seed to be eliminated from the event, following world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka’s defeat in previous matches.
Andreeva said: “Honestly, I was really nervous before the match and we played in Cincinnati last year (where Swiatek won their quarter-final match) and it was pretty intense.”
She added: “So I just told myself that I played great and I just need to continue to play aggressive and go for my shots. It was also not easy with all the fans (supporting her) but I think we were even. I had a lot of people supporting me.”
Andreeva has made history as the youngest semi-finalist in Dubai since its opening in 2001.
In a social media post, Women’s Tennis Association shared: “First WTA 1000 semifinal 🔓”
Highlights of the match
The young athlete was under pressure early on, facing difficulty in holding serve during the first game of the opening set. However, she managed to recover, levelling the score at 1-1.
Andreeva continued to play with impressive skill, reading Swiatek’s game perfectly and using her movement to stay one step ahead. With each point, Andreeva gained dominance and, on the set point, fired a forehand return and clinched the first set.
After falling behind 3-1 in the second set, Andreeva took a moment to reset with her coach, the legendary Concita Martinez. The brief exchange helped the athlete find her rhythm once again and she won five games in a row. She then broke Swiatek’s serve in the second-to-last game, giving her the chance to serve for the match. Andreeva stayed calm and finished strong, winning when Swiatek’s return went wide on match point,
