Andreeva remains on a roll, beats Svitolina in Indian Wells quarter-finals

Mirra Andreeva advanced to the semi-finals of the BNP Paribas Open by beating Elina Svitolina 7-5, 6-3 on Thursday afternoon. Andreeva, whose February swing featured a WTA 1000 title in Dubai, got the job done in one hour and 28 minutes.

The 17-year-old fought off two break points 1-2 in the opening set and eventually earned the first break of the match at 5-5. She served it out easily one game later.

Set two was more straightforward for Andreeva. The Russian missed a break-point opportunity right off the bat but converted her next chance for a quick 2-1 advantage. An exchange of breaks midway through the frame led to a 5-3 lead for Andreeva. For good measure, the world No 11added a final break in the ninth game to clinch victory in style.

“It’s true that I actually didn’t drop a set yet,” Andreeva said following her fourth consecutive straight-set win in Indian Wells. “I’m just super happy about it. I really like the way I play right now, and today was a really tough match. So I’m just super happy that I managed to win today.”

She did so despite another windy afternoon in the desert.

“Honestly I hate to play when it’s windy outside,” she admitted. “I don’t think that there is one player that really likes it, but there is nothing we can do about it. I try to adapt my game. If it’s windy or if it’s hot or if it’s cold, I kind of try to adjust and play a little different. I also kind of go from my feeling, and if I feel like it’s a bit hard for me to move or I feel heavy. I just try to play a bit more aggressive so the points are not very long, or if I feel like I’m super energetic and my legs are moving fast, I try to use it as much as I can.”

Andreeva will face Iga Swiatek in the semi-finals on Friday.

Indian Wells’ No 9 seed previously defeated Frenchwoman Varvara Gracheva (7-5, 6-4), Dane Clara Tauson, the No 22 seed (6-3, 6-0) and Kazakh Elena Rybakina, the No 7 seed (6-1, 6-2).

Svitolina, ranked No 23, advanced to the quarter-finals with wins over Ashlyn Krueger (6-1, 6-7 (8), 6-3), American Danielle Collins, the No 14 seed (6-2, 6-4) and American Jessica Pegula, the No 4 seed (5-7, 6-1, 6-2).

Indian Wells WTA 1000, other last eight results:

• Aryna Sabalenka vs. Liudmila Samsonova
• Belinda Bencic vs. Madison Keys
• Iga Swiatek beat Qinwen Zheng (8): 6-3, 6-3

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