Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva beat defending champion Iga Swiatek 7-6, 1-6, 6-3 to reach the Indian Wells final for the first time as she sets her sights on back-to-back WTA 1000 titles.
After a tight first set, the 17-year-old Andreeva was flawless in the tiebreak, leaning over and letting out a roar when she enticed a forehand error from Swiatek on set point.
The Polish second seed stormed back in the second set, breaking in the first game and levelling the contest when Andreeva’s backhand went wide.
Andreeva, who was studying handwritten notes during the changeovers, grabbed the momentum back by breaking to open the third set as temperatures in the California desert plummeted and the wind picked up.
She ripped a forehand winner to go up 3-1 as the frustration began to take build for Swiatek, who dumped a backhand into the net on match point.
“After she literally killed me in the second set I thought, okay, I’ll just try to fight,” Adreeva said on court. “There is not much I could do about it, she was playing amazing. I just decided to fight for every point.
“It doesn’t matter how I put the ball in but I have to put it in. In the end it wasn’t too bad.”
Andreeva, who became the youngest winner of a WTA 1000 event in Dubai last month, has now won 11 straight matches – two of them against the world number two, who has lost all five of her semi-final appearances since winning the French Open last June.
The ninth seed Andreeva is coached by former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez, who reached the Indian Wells finals twice during her playing days.
“I know that my coach lost in the finals so I’m going to try to be better than her,” said Andreeva with a laugh.
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The loss ends five-time major champion Swiatek’s bid to become the first woman to win the tournament in the Southern California desert three times.
Andreeva will look to claim her second straight WTA 1000 title after her triumph in Dubai last month when she faces Aryna Sabalenka in the final on Sunday.
Sabalenka avenged her Australian Open final defeat to Madison Keys in ruthless fashion as she booked her place in the other semi-final, racing to a 6-0 6-1 victory.
Keys claimed her first grand slam title with victory over world No 1 Sabalenka in January, but the American fifth seed never looked like repeating that victory in Indian Wells.
Sabalenka needed just 51 minutes to complete the win, Keys holding serve late in the second set to avoid a whitewash.
