Mirra Andreeva achieved a range of impressive feats with her stunning straight-set upset of Iga Swiatek in the quarter-finals of the Dubai Championships.
The 17-year-old star prevailed 6-3, 6-3 over the five-time Grand Slam champion and world No 2 to advance to her maiden WTA 1000 semi-final.
In the first set, Andreeva broke Swiatek twice and fought off the four break points she faced in her opening two service games.
The world No 14 fell 1-3 down in the second set, but she reeled off five straight games to turn it around and seal her first win against Swiatek in the pair’s second encounter.
In her on-court interview, Andreeva said: “Honestly, I was really nervous before the match.
“We played in Cincinnati last year and it was pretty intense, so I just told myself that I played great [in our last match] and I just need to continue playing aggressive and active and go for my shots.
“It was also not easy with all the fans but I think we were even. I had a lot of people supporting, so thank you guys for supporting me today. It means a lot.”
Asked if she changed her game plan after chatting to her coach Conchita Martinez when trailing 1-3 in the second set, Andreeva said: “Honestly, I think she didn’t tell me anything new (laughs).
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“She told me everything I knew already, she just told me to keep going because I played good. And she just told me to go for my shots, that I don’t have to change anything, I just have to keep playing the same.
“But for me, honestly, it’s harder to keep playing the same than changing something, so I had a clear goal for this match and I think I was sticking with it until the end.”
At 17 years and 297 days, Andreeva has become the youngest player to reach the semi-finals of the Dubai Championships since the tournament was first held in 2001.
The Russian, who will turn 18 on April 29, is the youngest woman to defeat multiple Grand Slam champions during a WTA 1000 event after she also downed 2023 Wimbledon winner Marketa Vondrousova in the second round.
Andreeva is the youngest-ever player to defeat Swiatek and the only woman to achieve it before the age of 18.
The 17-year-old has also become the youngest WTA player to earn five wins over opponents ranked in the top 10 since Nicole Vaidisova reached the milestone at the age of 17 years and 273 days in 2007.
This was Andreeva’s second win against a world No 2 after she defeated Aryna Sabalenka — the current world No 1 — when the Belarusian was ranked second at the 2024 French Open.
Andreeva, who is yet to drop a set in Dubai, will face either Elena Rybakina or Sofia Kenin in the semi-finals.
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