- 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva upsets world No. 2 Iga Swiatek
- Andreeva becomes youngest-ever player to reach Dubai semi-finals
- Victory marks Andreeva's second win over a top-2 ranked player
World number two Iga Swiatek was eliminated from the Dubai Tennis Championships after suffering a surprising 6-3, 6-3 defeat to 17-year-old Russian sensation Mirra Andreeva in the quarter-finals.
The defeat marks a major milestone for Andreeva, who became the youngest-ever player to reach the semi-finals of the prestigious tournament.
Trailing 3-1 in the second set, Andreeva mounted an impressive comeback, winning five consecutive games to seal victory over the five-time Grand Slam champion, Swiatek. The match lasted 1 hour and 36 minutes.
“I was really nervous before the match, and we played in Cincinnati last year [which Swiatek won], and it was pretty intense,” Andreeva admitted after her triumph. “So I just told myself that I played great and I just need to continue to play aggressive and go for my shots.”
Andreeva also spoke about the challenge of playing against Swiatek in front of a large crowd supporting the Polish star. “It was also not easy with all the fans [supporting Swiatek] but I think we were even. I had a lot of people supporting me,” she added.
This victory not only secured Andreeva’s place in the semi-finals, where she will face either Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina or the United States’ Sofia Kenin later on Thursday, but also added another remarkable achievement to her young career. The Russian teenager has now beaten both of the world’s top two ranked players in the past 12 months, having also defeated world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the quarter-finals of last year’s French Open.
Andreeva’s win makes her the youngest player since Nicole Vaidisova in 2007 to win five matches against players ranked in the top 10.
