Mirra Andreeva won 11 games in a row as she thrashed world number two Aryna Sabalenka to reach the last four at the WTA Finals. French Open champion Andreeva overcame an early deficit to secure a statement 6-4 6-0 victory over the four-time major singles winner.
Andreeva and Svitolina Action at WTA Finals
Andreeva admitted to Sky Sports that Sabalenka did not have her best day, stating that she could not take all the credit herself and was simply happy to focus on committing and controlling what she could. Despite trailing 4-1 in the opening set, the 19-year-old Russian played a mature and intelligent match, utilizing high loopy balls and powerful baseline angles to hit 16 winners with only six unforced errors. After a minor wobble when serving for the first set, Andreeva hit three consecutive aces and dominated the remainder of the contest, leaving Sabalenka to rack up 23 unforced errors.
The outcome means the final group match between Sabalenka and Elina Svitolina will determine who else advances to the semi-finals alongside group winner Andreeva. Svitolina kept her title hopes alive by staging a comeback win against Karolina Muchova, prevailing 3-6 6-2 6-2 after taking a medical timeout for a right hip injury following a poor start. Svitolina told Sky Sports that channeling her anger from her opening match loss helped her find her game, while Muchova struggled with 39 unforced errors.
Other Tennis Results
At the Stockholm Open, Britain’s Cameron Norrie suffered a 7-5 6-3 defeat against world number 10 Taylor Fritz. Meanwhile, Denmark’s Holger Rune advanced to the quarter-finals by defeating Miomir Kecmanovic 2-6 6-1 6-4, marking a significant milestone a year after rupturing his Achilles at the same tournament and returning to the ATP Tour in October.
