DUBAI: World No. 2 Iga Swiatek was sensationally knocked out of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in straight sets on Thursday as the talented teen Mirra Andreeva made history to book a place in the WTA 1000 semifinal for the first time in her career.
With the win, Andreeva becomes the youngest player to reach the final four since the emirate’s tournament began in 2001.
When world No. 1 and top seed Aryna Sabalenka crashed out of the tournament on Wednesday night, Swiatek, a five-time Grand Slam winner, looked favorite for a maiden Dubai crown.
Yet less than 24 hours later, the Polish star was also packing her bags after a stunning performance by Andreeva, who claimed a 6-3, 6-3 victory to become, at 17 years and 297 days, the youngest semifinalist in the 25-year history of the Dubai women’s event.
Andreeva, who admitted she was nervous beforehand, struggled in her first service game of the opening set, but managed to save three break points before breaking her opponent’s serve to take the lead.
Covering the court well while also reading Swiatek’s shots, she broke once more with a powerful forehand down the line.
Swiatek rallied to establish a 3-1 lead in the second set, but Andreeva refused to surrender. Following a brief on-court conversation with her coach, the teen went on to win five games in a row to secure the win.
The victory proved sweet revenge for the three-set defeat she suffered in her only other meeting with Swiatek in Cincinnati last year.
“Last time we played, (it) was a close match — tough, intense,” Andreeva said. “This time, I just tried to tell myself to go for my shots, to be aggressive, to not hesitate.”
She added: “That helped me to win in a way. I just tell myself, if I’m here, I play my best, I try to play my best, I go for my shots, fight for every ball. It doesn’t matter what’s happening on the court.
“If I lose 6-0, 5-0 or I win 7-5, 6-4, it doesn’t matter. I just go for my shots and try to bring out my best level.”
Next up for No. 12 seed Andreeva is a semifinal clash with world No. 7 Elena Rybakina, who defeated American wildcard Sofia Kenin 6-2, 7-6(2) under lights.
The Kazakh reached the final in Dubai in 2020 and is aware that while expectation dictates that her experience should help, there is an inherent danger in playing an opponent who has already exceeded her own expectations.
“For sure, she has nothing to lose now,” Rybakina said of Andreeva. “She is playing very well in this tournament and is very dangerous. She’s physically very good, very quick.
“Also I saw today a couple of games and she was serving really well. If she plays like that, for sure it won’t be easy, but I will try to recover and be prepared to show my best.”
Asked how her own mindset has changed from being a young player to now being a Grand Slam winner with a target on her back, the Wimbledon 2022 champion responded: “Definitely before I was just going out there and enjoying; just hitting free.
“The atmosphere is always nice to play on these big courts and nothing to lose when I was young. Every match was a great experience, but it is different when you’re a top player because everybody wants to beat you.
“(Andreeva) has so much in front of her and she’s for sure dangerous for me.”
In the other semifinal, unseeded Dane Clara Tauson will meet No. 14 seed Karolina Muchova, who beat Romania’s Sorana Cirstea in the late match of the day.
Tauson, ranked No. 38 in the world, made headlines on Wednesday night after slaying Sabalenka in straights sets and she admitted fears she would be unable to match that performance in Thursday’s quarterfinal.
She need not have worried, defeating the Czech Linda Noskova 7-6(4), 6-4 on Centre Court. “The level I had (against Sabalenka) is a level you hit maybe five or six times a year, so I was sure it wasn’t going to be the same and I was really prepared for that.
“I was texting one of my best friends (last night): ‘I had a great match today; I’m for sure going to play (bad) tomorrow.’ But I didn’t and I’m really happy about that … otherwise, I would have lost for sure.
“That’s what helped me, I think, I was aware it was going to be a tougher match.”
The 25th edition of the annual WTA 1000 event runs until Feb. 22, followed by the 33rd staging of the men’s ATP Tour 500 tournament from Feb. 24 to March 1.
