Mirra Andreeva stuns defending champ Iga Swiatek at Indian Wells

Teenager Mirra Andreeva stunned Iga Swiatek at the Indian Wells Open in California on Friday, upsetting the defending champion 7-6(1), 1-6, 6-3 in the semi-finals of the WTA 1000 event.

The victory is Andreeva’s second in a row over world No.1 Swiatek, as she becomes just the third woman to beat the Pole in Indian Wells and the fifth teenager to make the final.

Tennis betting sites had the Russian as an underdog heading into the match given Swiatek’s 23-3 record at the tournament, with BetOnline pricing her at $2.37 to win.

She defied the odds, however, raising her level to win a first-set tiebreak before bouncing back strong in the third after a mid-match lull.

“It was a really tough match, tough conditions,” Andreeva said after the two-hour, 17-minute match.

“I tried to really hang in there.

“It was not easy, but I’m just super happy with the win today, and I can’t wait to play finals on Sunday.”

Waiting for the 17-year-old in the final is world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka, who exacted her revenge on Madison Keys 6-0, 6-1 in a repeat of the 2025 Australian Open final.

Andreeva has lost twice to Sabalenka already this year and trailed 4-1 in the pair’s head-to-head.

Set as a $2.75 underdog by top bookmakers heading into the final, Andreeva is aware of the challenge she is up against.

“Yeah, the matches that we played this year didn’t really go my way,” she said.

“I can say she almost killed me, especially in Melbourne.

“Yeah, I’m going to try to take a revenge, because I still have nothing to lose, and I feel like the match is going to be probably entertaining.

“There is going to be a lot of, I think, a lot of winners, a lot of great points.

“Now it’s going to be [my coach’s] job to prepare me well for this match, so I hope she is going to do it.

“But I will just go out there as for every other match and try to play my best and to fight for every point, and then we’re going to see who’s going to win.”

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