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Mirra Andreeva secured her place in the semi-finals of the WTA Finals with a straight-sets victory over World No 2 Aryna Sabalenka on Wednesday. The 19-year-old French Open champion recorded a 6-4 6-0 win to top Group 2, while Elina Svitolina rallied from a set down to defeat Karolina Muchova 3-6 6-2 6-2 in Indian Wells.
Andreeva Sweeps Sabalenka in Group 2
Sabalenka started the match strongly by breaking Andreeva in the fourth game to establish a 3-1 lead. However, Andreeva answered by winning three games in a row to draw level at 4-4 before breaking Sabalenka once more and serving out the opening set.
The World No 3 kept her momentum going in the second set, taking advantage of Sabalenka’s unforced errors to establish a quick 3-0 lead. Andreeva did not concede another game, completing a dominant performance to wrap up the victory on her WTA Finals debut.
Svitolina Battles Back Against Muchova
In the earlier Group 2 fixture, Svitolina kept her semi-final hopes alive after recovering from a set down against Muchova. The Ukrainian took an eight-minute medical time-out during the match before taking control to win the remaining two sets. The outcome officially eliminated Muchova from the tournament, while Svitolina will play Sabalenka on Friday to decide who claims the group’s second semi-final spot.
Svitolina had previously suffered a 6-4 6-0 loss to Andreeva in her opening match. Speaking about her turnaround, Svitolina told Sky Sports: “It was not an easy task to do.”
She admitted feeling frustrated after her slow start before finding her rhythm. “I was pretty angry at myself, to be fair, after the first match and after the first set also. Things didn’t go my way, so I tried to direct this anger towards the ball and found my game in the end,” Svitolina told Sky Sports, adding that she remains focused on physical recovery ahead of her decisive clash. “It’s the last tournament of the season, so you know, I just have to really put my head down and deal with all the small injuries.”
Fritz Eliminates Norrie at Stockholm Open
At the Stockholm Open, Britain’s Cameron Norrie was knocked out in the round of 16 following a 7-5 6-3 loss to top seed Taylor Fritz on Wednesday.
Norrie earned an early break in the third game of the first set, but Fritz broke back to level the match at 5-5. The World No 10 subsequently broke Norrie’s serve in the 12th game to take the opening set. In the second set, Fritz secured a crucial break in the eighth game and held serve to advance to the quarter-finals.
