Indian Wells: Mirra Andreeva topples Iga Swiatek, to face Aryna Sabalenka in final

Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva ended the defending champion Iga Swiatek's quest for a historic third Indian Wells title, defeating the world number two 7-6 (1), 1-6, 6-3 on Friday to advance to the final.
At just 17, Andreeva snapped Swiatek's 10-match winning streak at Indian Wells, marking her second victory over the Polish star in three weeks—having previously triumphed in Dubai's quarter-finals en route to becoming the youngest WTA 1000 champion ever.
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On Sunday, Andreeva will face Aryna Sabalenka, who dominated Australian Open champion Madison Keys. The American veteran Keys had denied Sabalenka a third consecutive title in Melbourne, where she claimed her first major in January.
Andreeva is the youngest finalist at Indian Wells since Kim Clijsters, who was 17 in 2001.

In the match against Swiatek, Andreeva showcased her skills in the first set tiebreaker and managed to regroup after a challenging second set.
Although Swiatek started confidently, dropping only one point in her first three service games, Andreeva seized a 5-4 lead with a crucial break, benefiting from a double fault by Swiatek. The match proceeded to a tiebreaker where Andreeva dominated.
"I felt like I'm gonna go and play the tiebreak like it's the last tiebreak of my life," she said. "So I just went for all my shots. My serve was great. I just felt super comfortable and confident," she said.

"I saw my mom's nervous face in the big screen," Andreeva told the crowd. "I tried not to look there."
Despite Swiatek rebounding in the second set with three breaks, the momentum shifted back to Andreeva in the third. She ultimately secured victory with her third break of the set.
"I just decided to kind of still play the same but maybe go for my shots more, trying to play a little bit more aggressive," she said.
"I feel also that I was dealing with the nerves and the pressure pretty good, so I just feel proud of myself."
Sabalenka trounces Keys in Australian Open re-match

World number one Aryna Sabalenka dispatched Madison Keys 6-0, 6-1 to reach the Indian Wells final, avenging her loss to the fifth-ranked American in the Australian Open final.
In just 51 minutes, Sabalenka set up a title match against Andreeva.
The Belarusian, seeking revenge after her January defeat to Keys, was sharp from the start, completing the first set in just 23 minutes.
"I was hungry," said Sabalenka, who had made no bones about wanting revenge. "That Australian Open match was really heartbroken for me, and I really needed some time to recover after that.
"And if I would lose today again, it would get in my head and I didn't want that to happen. I was really focused -- I was just really hungry to get this win against Madison."
Keys, who had a 16-match winning streak culminating in her Australian Open victory, struggled to make an impact.

"I think tactically I played really great tennis," said Sabalenka, adding her strategy was to "just keep her out of the rhythm".
Despite overcoming the cold, swirling winds on Stadium Court and winning the first 11 games, Sabalenka's dominance was clear. Keys managed to hold serve for the first time at 5-1 in the second set, but Sabalenka quickly closed out the match.
This marks Sabalenka's second appearance in the Indian Wells final; she was the runner-up to Elena Rybakina in 2023.