Andreeva routs Sabalenka 6-4 6-0 to reach WTA Finals semi-finals
Mirra Andreeva won eleven consecutive games after trailing early, while Elina Svitolina recovered from a poor start to beat Karolina Muchova.
Key points
- Mirra Andreeva beat Aryna Sabalenka 6-4 6-0 at the WTA Finals, according to BBC Sport.
- Andreeva won 11 games in a row after trailing 4-1 in the opening set.
- Andreeva is the group winner and has reached the last four.
- Sabalenka hit 23 unforced errors and served no aces.
- Svitolina beat Karolina Muchova 3-6 6-2 6-2, setting up a decisive final group match on Friday.
Russian player Mirra Andreeva produced a dominant performance to beat second seed Aryna Sabalenka 6-4 6-0 at the WTA Finals, as reported by BBC Sport. The result sends Andreeva through to the last four as the winner of her group.
Andreeva, 19, is the reigning French Open champion. She was 4-1 behind in the first set before her level rose sharply. From that point she took 11 games in a row and did not look back.
A one-sided match
Sabalenka, the world number two and a four-time major singles winner, struggled for consistency throughout. She finished with 23 unforced errors and did not hit a single ace. BBC Sport noted that she had taping on her knee, but it did not appear to affect her movement.
Andreeva used high, looping balls to unsettle her opponent, then pushed the pace with heavy hitting. She recorded 16 winners against only six unforced errors. Her only real wobble came when she was 15-30 down while serving for the first set, but she responded with three straight aces.
Sabalenka had earlier held a double-break lead, yet she won just 10 more points for the rest of the contest. Her performance drew comparisons with some of the collapses she has suffered this year. BBC Sport added that the unravelling was faster than her defeats at the French Open and Berlin Open, where she lost deciding sets 6-0.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Andreeva played down her own role in the result. She said Sabalenka had not enjoyed her best day, and she stressed that she had focused on the things she could control.
Svitolina keeps hopes alive
Elina Svitolina of Ukraine also needed a strong response. She had lost her opening group match to Andreeva, and she started poorly against Muchova as well. The sixth seed took a medical timeout for a right hip problem after dropping the first set.
Svitolina saved an early break point and then slowly wore down the Wimbledon runner-up. She won 3-6 6-2 6-2. Muchova made 39 unforced errors, many of them from her forehand. Svitolina told Sky Sports that she had been angry with herself after her first match, and that she had tried to direct that frustration into her game.
The next group match on Friday will decide who joins Andreeva in the semi-finals. Sabalenka and Svitolina meet in that contest, and the winner advances.
Stockholm Open and Holger Rune
Elsewhere, at the Stockholm Open, Britain’s Cameron Norrie lost 7-5 6-3 to Taylor Fritz, the world number 10. Fritz progressed as a result.
Denmark’s Holger Rune also reached the quarter-finals in Stockholm. He beat Miomir Kecmanovic 2-6 6-1 6-4. A year earlier, Rune ruptured his Achilles tendon at the same tournament. He returned to the ATP Tour only in October, after roughly 12 months of recovery.
Taken together, the results show how quickly form can change at this stage of the season. Andreeva’s win strengthens her position at the top of the WTA Finals, while Svitolina remains in contention with one match to play.
Frequently asked questions
Who won the Andreeva and Sabalenka match at the WTA Finals?
Mirra Andreeva won 6-4 6-0, according to BBC Sport. The result sent her into the semi-finals as the winner of her group.
Who can still reach the WTA Finals semi-finals?
Sabalenka and Elina Svitolina play their final group match on Friday. The winner of that match advances to the semi-finals.
Did Holger Rune return from injury at the Stockholm Open?
Yes, Rune returned to the ATP Tour in October after a long recovery from an Achilles rupture. He reached the Stockholm Open quarter-finals by beating Miomir Kecmanovic.
Sources
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