Mirra Andreeva upset No. 2 seed Iga Swiatek in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships quarterfinals, winning 6-3, 6-3 in 1 hour and 36 minutes. The 17-year-old came from a break down in the second set to seal her fifth career Top 10 victory.
Andreeva, the No. 12 seed, is now the youngest player to record five Top 10 wins since Nicole Vaidisova defeated Elena Dementieva at the 2007 Australian Open.
“Last time we played was a close match and it was tough, it was intense,” Andreeva said afterwards. “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 said that she has been working with a psychologist on this.
“I have some new tips,” she told press. “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.
“For example when it was 1-1, I was serving. When she broke me, she did three return winners. There was not much I could do about it. I just had to accept it. Been also working on acceptance when something doesn’t go my way.
The result also marks her second win over a World No. 2, following her defeat of Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Roland Garros quarterfinals.
Andreeva advances to her second semifinal at WTA 1000 level or above following Roland Garros 2024, and fifth tour-level semifinal overall. She is the youngest player to reach the last four in Dubai since the tournament’s inception in 2001.
Andreeva will bid to reach her second WTA final (following her maiden title in Iasi last July) against No. 6 seed Elena Rybakina, who defeated wild card Sofia Kenin 6-2, 7-6(2). In their only previous meeting in the 2023 Beijing third round, Rybakina came from a set and 4-2 down to deny Andreeva 2-6, 6-4, 6-1.
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