Mirra Andreeva has spoken after her semi-final win (Image: Getty)
Mirra Andreeva has admitted that ‘killed her’ midway through their Indian Wells clash on Friday. The teenager remained unfazed by her opponent’s dominance in the second set of the match though, fighting back to reach back-to-back WTA 1000 finals.
The Russian secured a 7-6(1) 1-6 6-3 victory to become the first 17-year-old to reach the final at Indian Wells since 2001, with Swiatek pushing her rival throughout and showcasing why she was victorious in the competition last year.
After winning the opening set, the tide appeared to turn in the second when Swiatek dominated. However, Andreeva managed to hit back – with Swiatek losing her composure towards the end of proceedings and almost striking a ball kid with a ball that she smashed in frustration.
Speaking to about how she held her nerve to secure the victory, Andreeva explained: “I feel that I was dealing with the nerves and the pressure pretty good, so I just feel proud of myself.
“After she literally killed me in the second set, I was just ‘well, OK, might just try to fight’. There is not much I could do about it. She was playing amazing. And I just kind of decided to grind and fight for every point. It doesn’t matter how I put the ball in. But I have to put it in. So I just try to do everything and in the end, it was not too bad.”
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Iga Swiatek dominated the second set (Image: Getty)
Despite playing against a three-time Indian Open winner, Andreeva revealed that she was confident throughout the clash, saying: “I don’t know why I felt so much confidence and I felt like I’m gonna go and play the tie-break like it’s the last tie-break of my life. So I just went for all my shots.
“My serve was great, and, you know, just felt super comfortable and super confident during the tie-break. I kind of played on a roll.”
Andreeva will now bid for glory when she faces in the final, who cruised to a 6-0 6-1 win over Madison Keys in just 51 minutes.
Speaking about her upcoming opponent, Sabalenka said: “It feels like old mama playing against the kid. I’m like what, nine years older than her? She is two years younger than my sister and I look at my sister as a kid. It’s crazy.”