By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, March 15, 2019
Eighteen-year-old wild card Bianca Andreescu toppled Elina Svitolina, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, becoming the youngest Indian Wells finalist in 20 years.
Photo credit: BNP Paribas Open Facebook
Midway through the final set, Bianca Andreescu charged forward and hurled her whole body behind forehand rocket that left Elina Svitolina swinging at air.
Andreescu befuddled the sixth seed with a series of maddening drop shots and beat her with bold strikes down the line.
Andreescu: Now and Zen
Contesting just her eighth tour event, the 18-year-old Andreescu shocked Svitolina, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, battling into the Indian Wells final where she will play either Dubai champion Belinda Bencic or three-time Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber.
Exuding gritty resilience and superb shot-making under pressure, Andreescu withstood cramps and break points during a dramatic 10-minute game to close her biggest career win and make history as the first wild card to reach the BNP Paribas Open final.
The Canadian teenager can play ingenious all-court tennis mixing the spins, speeds and heights of her shots in an engaging game-style. While Andreescu calls her eclectic style “junk” she’s now deconstructed four seeded opponents—32nd-seeded Dominika Cibulkova, 18th-seeded Qiang Wang, 20th-seeded Garbine Muguruza and Svitolina—becoming the youngest woman to reach the BNP Paribas Open final since a 17-year-old Serena Williams toppled Steffi Graf in the 1999 final.
Andreescu started the season ranked No. 152 and the wild card will rocket to No. 32 when the new WTA rankings are released on Monday.
“I really needed a moment to soak this all in,” Andreescu told Andrew Krasny afterward. “This is so incredible. This past week has been a dream come true…
“I just believed in myself. Playing against these top players, I’ve watched them so many times on TV so it’s really incredible to play against them and win.”
The Canadian wild card showed spiking nerves at the outset double faulting and slapping a backhand into net to gift the break in the opening game.
Svitolina, who will return to the Top 5 when the new rankings are released on Monday, is a precise counter-puncher but knows her way around net too. A fine high backhand volley helped her score a second straight break.
Settling in and finding her range, Andreescu broke back in the fourth game.
The beauty Andreescu’s game is how smoothly she can shift from force to finesse, her shrewd court sense and use of angles. The Canadian carved out a dropper that helped her break again. Stepping well into the court to cut off the angle, Andreescu drove a clean backhand crosscourt seizing her fourth straight game and a 4-3 lead.
Calling out coach Andrew Bettles, Svitolina tried to slow her slide, but back-to-back double faults put her in another break-point bind. Andreescu stretched the Ukrainian with a forehand down the line then curled a forehand crosscourt for 5-3.
Shots were flowing like all the right answers in an exam for Andreescu, who reeled off six straight points, punishing a forehand crosscourt to snatch her sixth straight game and the 32-minute opening set.
The teenager turned up the torment, burying Svitolina in the corner with a backhand then flicking a gorgeous drop shot winner scoring her fourth break to open the second set.
Extending rallies, Svitolina snapped a seven-game free-fall and broke back.
Playing with purpose and intensity on each point, Svitolina sparked a four-game run saving three break points to extend her lead to 4-1.
A fully-engaged Svitolina attacked behind a high backhand swing volley converting her second set point to force a final set after 74 minutes of play.
It was the fourth time in five matches Svitolina would go the distance.
A bold forehand strike down the line helped Andreescu break to start the decider. Jamming a body serve to deny a break point, Andreescu erupted with her loudest scream of the night, eventually consolidating.
The wild card was up 3-2 when Svitolina’s coach Bettles came out again and urged his charge to pour all her energy and intensity into the final stretch against an opponent he believed was depleted.
“She’s dying physically,” Bettles said of Andreescu.
As if on cue, Svitolina continued to force the teenager to play an extra ball. When Andreescu poked a weary forehand into net, Svitolina had her sixth break and the Canadian was left to confront fatigue and frustration.
Second serve disparity was a key to the match. Andreescu is more assertive on her second serve and showed disdain for Svitolina’s second delivery, stepping forward to drill a forehand return down the line stamping the 12th break for 4-3.
Momentum shifted suddenly again as Svitolina earned triple break point in the eighth game.
Andreescu refused to give an inch roaring all the way back, she buried a forehand bolt in the corner salvaging a spirited hold for 5-3.
Sliding a forehand down the line, Andreescu gained match point and narrowly missed a backhand down the line to end it. Svitolina grabbed the lifeline and held on forcing her opponent to try to serve it out.
Andreescu battled back from break points down again to earn a second match point. Svitolina painted the sideline to save it. On her third match point, Andreescu lined up her typically rock-solid backhand but netted that shot to drop back to deuce.
Facing another break point, Andreescu angled an audacious drop shot to save it.
Blasting a forehand to back up her opponent, Andreescu ladled a fine forehand dropper for her fourth match point as the game hit the 10-minute mark.
Andreescu changed up the pace again to close a pulsating two-hour, 13-minute victory.