No. 12 seed Mirra Andreeva stormed past No. 2 Iga Swiatek 6-3, 6-3 on Thursday to become the youngest player ever to reach the semifinals at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
The 17-year-old Russian overcame an early break in the second set to finish the match in one hour, 36 minutes. It was Andreeva’s fifth career Top 10 win and her second against a World No. 2 after beating Aryna Sabalenka in the 2024 French Open quarterfinals.
Andreeva’s decisive win Thursday made her the first player under the age of 18 to defeat Swiatek at the tour level.
Swiatek, the five-time Grand Slam winner from Poland, won their previous encounter in three sets last year in Cincinnati.
“Last time we played was a close match and it was tough, it was intense,” Andreeva said. “This time I just tried to tell myself to go for my shots, to be aggressive, to not hesitate. I think that helped me to win in a way.”
Andreeva, who struck 10 aces and saved seven of eight break points, credited her recent work with a psychologist for helping her handle several high-pressure moments in the match.
“I have some new tips,” she said. “I have some new advices, in a way, how to work with my anger inside, what to do when I don’t feel great, how to maintain my level when I feel great, how to keep being me.”
Andreeva’s semifinal opponent will be No. 6 seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, a 6-2, 7-6 (2) winner against Sofia Kenin. Rybakina won the only previous meeting with Andreeva, a three-setter in Beijing in 2023.
Rybakina, the runner-up in Dubai in 2020, eliminated Kenin in one hour, 25 minutes. She was leading the former Australian Open champion 3-1 in the second set before holding on for the victory.
“I started the match really well, but in the second, I lost a little bit of concentration,” Rybakina said. “My serve didn’t go (well), and Sofia, she’s a great player — it’s always difficult matches against her, but in the end, I found my game and I’m really happy that I managed to win in two sets.”
Rybakina hammered 17 aces and finished with 45 winners, more than double Kenin’s total of 20.
Unseeded Clara Tauson of Denmark will face No. 14 Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic in the other semifinal of the WTA 1000 tournament. Tauson took out Czech Linda Noskova 7-6 (4), 6-4 and Muchova eliminated Romania’s Sorana Cirstea 6-2, 7-5 in Thursday’s quarterfinals.
–Field Level Media
