Andreeva stuns Sabalenka, sets up surprising Roland-Garros semi-final against Paolini

Mirra Andreeva pulled off a stunning upset of Aryna Sabalenka on Wednesday at Roland-Garros. It will be Andreeva vs Jasmine Paolini in an unexpected semi-final showdown.

Ricky Dimon

June 5, 2024

Mirra Andreeva continues to defy the odds at an incredibly young age.

Andreeva, who reached the Wimbledon fourth round as a 16-year-old in 2023, secured her spot in the Roland-Garros semi-finals by upsetting Aryna Sabalenka 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4 on Wednesday afternoon. The Russian came back from a break down in the third set to prevail after two hours and 29 minutes.

At 17 years and 37 days old, Andreeva becomes the youngest women’s singles Grand Slam semi-finalist since Martina Hingis at the 1997 US Open. She is the the youngest to do so at Roland-Garros also since Hingis in ’97.

Andreeva will battle Jasmine Paolini on Thursday for a place in the championship match. She will reach a career-high of at least No 23 in the WTA rankings next week regardless of that result.

What a way to qualify for your first Grand Slam semi-final 🤯#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/GLSO8LX6tD
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 5, 2024

SABALENKA SURVIVES TUMULTUOUS FIRST SET

Sabalenka had made quick work of Andreeva in their two previous meetings — both on the red clay of Madrid (2023 and 2024). However, it was clear right from the start that things would be much more competitive in Paris.

Sabalenka struggled throughout the opening set — especially on her own serve. The Belarusian seemed to be under the weather, as she did not try to track down several balls that would normally have been well within reach and sprayed an uncharacteristic amount of unforced errors. Sure enough, she took a medical timeout midway though the set and received some pills from the tournament doctor.

After Andreeva failed to serve it out at 5-4, Sabalenka eventually took the set with a dominant performance in the tiebreak.

ANDREEVA REGAINS CONTROL TO REACH SEMIS

Despite being unable to seal the deal in the first set, Andreeva once again displayed maturity beyond her years. The world No 38 won each of the next two sets from a break down.

In the second, the two players took turns recovering from a break deficit. Andreeva eventually delivered a clutch hold at 4-4 and then converted her second set point on Sabalenka’s serve at 4-5. In the third, Sabalenka broke at love for 3-2 advantage only to see her opponent break right back. Andreeva seized the clinching break in the final game, capitalizing on her second match point by ending a long rally with a brilliant backhand lob winner.

“I was very nervous before the match,” she admitted. “It’s the first time I was playing on Philippe-Chatrier. She kicked my ass in two matches before…. I just tried to take revenge.

“It feels amazing. It was a thriller match, and we both played [well]. I’m really happy that I managed to win the match and go to my first (Grand Slam) semi-finals…. If we look back, I wouldn’t expect myself [to play in the] semi-finals, because that was just kind of a dream for me in the beginning of the tournament. But now I will be.”