No. 12 Seeds Mirra Andreeva stormed past No. 2 Iga Swiatek 6-3, 6-3 on Thursday to become the youngest player who ever reaches the semi-final at Dubai Tennis Championship.
The 17-year-old Russian overcame an early break in the second set to end the match in an hour, 36 minutes. It was Andreeva’s fifth career top 10 victory and her second against a world no.
Andreeva’s decisive victory Thursday made her the first player under 18 who defeated Swiatek at the tour level.
Swiatek, the five times the Grand Slam winner from Poland, won his previous meeting in three sets last year in Cincinnati.
“The last time we played was a close match and it was tough, it was intense,” Andreeva said. “This time I was just trying to tell myself to go after my pictures, to be aggressive, not to hesitate. I think it helped me win in a way.”
Andreeva, who beat 10 ESS and saved seven out of eight break points, credited her latest work with a psychologist to help her deal with several high -pressure moments in the match.
“I have some new tips,” she said. “I have some new advice, in a way, how to work with my anger inside, what to do when I don’t feel well, how to keep my level when I feel good, how to keep being me.”
Andreeva’s semi-final opponents will be No. 6 Frö Elena Rybakina in Kazakhstan, EN 6-2, 7-6 (2) winner against Sofia Kenin. Rybakina won the only previous meeting with Andreeva, a three-setting in Beijing 2023.
Rybakina, the runner in Dubai 2020, eliminated Kenin in one hour, 25 minutes. She led the former Australian Open Champion 3-1 in the second set before holding on to the victory.
“I started the match really well, but in the other I lost some concentration,” Rybakina said. “My server did not go (yes) and Sofia, she is a fantastic player – there are always difficult matches against her, but in the end I found my game and I am really glad I managed to win in two sets.”
Rybakina hammered 17 aces and ended with 45 winners, more than double Kenin’s total 20.
Oseded Clara Tauson from Denmark will meet No. 14 Karolina Muchova in the Czech Republic in the second semi -final in the WTA 1000 tournament. Tauson took out Czech Linda Noskova 7-6 (4), 6-4 and Muchova eliminated Romania’s Sorana Cirtea 6-2, 7-5 in Thursday’s quarterfinale.
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