Mirra Andreeva qualified for the semifinals of the WTA 1000 tournament in Beijing after defeating her compatriot Ekaterina Alexandrova 7:6 (7:4), 7:6 (7:3). The match lasted 1 hour and 53 minutes and brought the 19-year-old Russian her first success against Alexandrova.
With the victory, Andreeva set two records. At 19 years and 154 days, she became the youngest tennis player to reach the semifinals of a WTA 1000 tournament on hard court and clay within a single season. Since 2009, only Victoria Azarenka has managed to do so among players under 20.
Andreeva also became the youngest tennis player to reach four semifinals in the WTA 1000 series. She overtook Cori Gauff, who reached her fourth semifinal at 19 years and 203 days. The Russian is also the youngest semifinalist in Beijing since 2007, when Hungary's Agnes Sawai reached this stage.
Andreeva survived two contested tiebreaks
Alexandrova had opportunities in both sets, but Andreeva managed to win the deciding games. In the second set, she led 5:2 and served for the match at 5:3, but Alexandrova returned the break and reached another tiebreak.
“She played incredibly today and I am very happy to record my first victory against her“, Andreeva said after the match.This is Andreeva's fourth semifinal in a tournament of the highest category below the “Grand Slam“ and the WTA Finals. During the season, she reached the final in Madrid and won the French Open.
Semifinal against Bartunkova
Andreeva's opponent in the semifinal will be Nikola Bartunkova. The Czech defeated seventh seed Karolina Muchova 6-3, 6-0 and reached the semifinals of the WTA 1000 for the first time in her career. After the tournament, Bartunkova will debut in the top 30 of the world rankings.
The semifinal between Andreeva and Bartunkova is scheduled for October 10 in Beijing.
Sources: rbc.ru