Andreeva reaches the final without dropping a set
Mirra Andreeva reached the WTA Finals championship match at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden after defeating fifth seed Jessica Pegula 6-3, 6-4. The 19-year-old, who won her maiden Grand Slam at Roland Garros six months ago, has conceded just 18 games in four matches this week. She previously beat the No 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 6-0, winning 11 games in a row after trailing 1-4. The 19-year-old will rise to No 2 in the WTA rankings on Monday, regardless of the outcome, because the world No 1 Elena Rybakina and No 3 Sabalenka must defend points after Rybakina defeated Sabalenka in the Australian Open final. Andreeva, who burst onto the tour as a 15-year-old more than three years ago, will attempt to close out the most impressive week of her career. She will face Elina Svitolina, who defeated Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova 6-2, 6-0 in the second semi-final. Svitolina, who also beat Sabalenka this week, won their group stage encounter 6-4, 6-0. Svitolina seeks a second WTA Finals trophy after her 2018 win.
Sabalenka issues apology after Svitolina match incident
Sabalenka issued a public apology on Saturday after social media users interpreted a comment made between points as an offensive insult against Svitolina. The camera caught an angry Sabalenka reacting to a small group of spectators who were aggressively cheering her mistakes during Friday’s match. "My comment was not directed at Elina," Sabalenka said in a social media post. She said, "I was frustrated with a small group of spectators who were aggressively cheering my mistakes, and I reacted emotionally in the moment. That said, I should have handled my frustration differently, and I apologise to anyone I offended. Elina played a great match, and I wish her all the best for the rest of the tournament." Pegula called Andreeva a "diva" during practice, but Pegula apologized after a hot mic broadcast the comment to the world. Heavy winds at Indian Wells made it difficult for players to find rhythm and timing. Andreeva overcame a messy early service game and a double fault to fall behind 2-1 against Pegula. The Russian used 120mph service winners to beat the inconsistent Pegula, who relied on mental toughness because her level was low for much of the week. Andreeva also used defensive skills to draw errors from Pegula, who was too erratic to compete with the Russian.
