INDIAN WELLS — Russian teen star Mirra Andreeva advanced to the BNP Paribas Open final, beating defending champion Iga Swiatek, 7-6 (1), 1-6, 6-3, in chilly conditions on Friday night to become the tournament’s youngest finalist since 2001.
The 17-year-old Andreeva, seeded ninth, will face top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka in the final. Sabalenka routed fifth-seeded Madison Keys, 6-0, 6-1, in the second semifinal, a rematch of their Australian Open final earlier this year.
After a tight first set, Andreeva was flawless in the tiebreak, letting out a roar when she enticed a forehand error from Swiatek on set point. The Polish No. 2 seed stormed back, however, breaking in the first game en route to running away with the second set.
Andreeva, who was studying handwritten notes during the changeovers, regained the momentum by breaking to open the third set as temperatures in the desert plummeted and the wind picked up.
Andreeva and Swiatek both finished the match wearing pullovers, with the temperature dipping into the 50s in the final set. It was in the mid-50s when Sabalenka finished off Keys.
“After she literally killed me in the second set, I thought, OK, I’ll just try to fight,” Andreeva 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 ran her tour winning streak to 11 matches and ended Swiatek’s 10-match run at Indian Wells. Andreeva won her first WTA Tour title last month in Dubai to become the youngest player to capture a WTA 1000 event.
Andreeva is coached by former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez, who reached the Indian Wells final 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,” Andreeva said with a laugh.
Kim Clijsters was 17 in 2001 when she lost to Serena Williams in the final.
Swiatek, also the 2022 Indian Wells champion, was bidding to become the first woman to win the tournament three times.
Sabalenka ended Keys’ 16-match winning streak and got some revenge for her loss to the American in Australia. Keys beat Sabalenka in three sets in January at Melbourne Park, denying Sabalenka a third consecutive title.
“I didn’t expect this match to be that fast,” Sabalenka said. “I’m super happy with the way I played today – much-needed revenge.”
On Saturday in the men’s semifinals, two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz – the No. 2 seed – will face 13th-seeded Jack Draper, and fifth-seeded Daniil Medvedev will play No. 12 Holger Rune.
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