DUBAI :Russian teenage sensation Mirra Andreeva continued her giant-slaying exploits at the Dubai Tennis Championships by upsetting Kazakhstani sixth seed Elena Rybakina 6-4 4-6 6-3 in the semi-finals on Friday.
Denmark’s Clara Tauson set up a final showdown with Andreeva after overcoming Karolina Muchovaher 6-4 6-7(4) 6-3.
Andreeva, who had stunned five-times Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek in the quarters and former Wimbledon winner Marketa Vondrousova in the round of 32, is the youngest player to reach a WTA 1000 Final.
The 17-year-old French Open semi-finalist also becomes the youngest player to beat three Grand Slam winners at a single event since compatriot Maria Sharapova in 2004.
Wimbledon 2022 champion Rybakina, ranked seventh in the world, let a slender 2-1 lead slip in a tight opening set as momentum swung back and forth before Andreeva came out on top.
However, Rybakina forced a decider following a close second set where she had built a 4-3 lead and just as she looked to run away with the win after racing to a 3-1 lead in the final set, Andreeva roared back to win five successive games.
With the victory, world number 14 Andreeva also avenged her 2023 Beijing round of 16 defeat against Rybakina.
“Last time we played it was a really tough match… She went for her shots and killed me in the end. This time I knew she’d hit hard. I tried to fight for every point and kept believing,” Andreeva said.
Tauson, who knocked out world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the last 16, reached her first WTA 1000 final by toppling 14th seed Muchova.
The 22-year-old won all four points in the 10th game to take the opening set.
Czech Muchova fought back in the second to force a decider, but Tauson gained the decisive break for a 5-3 lead in the third set before finally clinching victory in a battle that lasted almost three hours.
“Muchova is such a great player. I don’t know what to say. I don’t know how I won today, I just tried to keep my cool and play good tennis,” the world number 38 said.
