By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Friday, March 14, 2025
Mirra Andreeva dethroned defending champion Iga Swiatek 7-6(1), 1-6, 6-3 scoring her 11th straight win to charge into the Indian Wells final.
Photo credit: Tony Chang/Chang Photography
Quick study Mirra Andreeva shrugged off a second-set blowout—then threw the tactical book at Iga Swiatek.
Playing clever combinations, the 17-year-old Andreeva dethroned defending Indian Wells champion Swiatek 7-6(1), 1-6, 6-3 charging into her second straight WTA 1000 final at the BNP Paribas Open.
Blown out in the second set, Andreeva was studying her notebook on changeovers—and reading Swiatek’s game as clearly as the scoreboard scoring her second straight win over the world No. 2.
No. 9-seeded Andreeva struck six more winners—32 to 26—played with more poise on pivotal points and navigated a whipping wind and chilly conditions in the final set with greater care and nuance.
"I just tried to hang in there and do something," Andreeva told the media in Indian Wells. "And after [the second set], I went on a toilet break. I started to think what can I change?
"And after, I just decided to kind of still play the same but maybe go for my shots more, trying to play a little bit more aggressive, and in the end, you know, I got the win, so I feel great.
"I feel also that I was dealing with the nerves and the pressure pretty good, so I just feel proud of myself."
It is the 11th straight WTA 1000 victory for Andreeva, who snapped Swiatek’s 10-match Indian Wells winning streak.
Andreeva is the youngest woman to reach the Indian Wells final since Hall of Famer Kim Clijsters in 2001. Andreeva fuses the athleticism of Clijsters with the savvy court sense of her tennis hero, Martina Hingis, and that combination was too much for future Hall of Famer Swiatek.
Dubai champion Andreeva will play for her second straight WTA 1000 championship against world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.
A ruthless Sabalenka stormed through 11 games in a row stomping Australian Open champion Madison Keys 6-0, 6-1, to avenge her Australian Open final loss to the 30-year-old American.
At crunch time today, Andreeva not only repeatedly torched Swiatek with her signature shot, the backhand down the line, she played smarter tennis down the stretch and was more composed on pivotal points.
In the final set, an ornery Swiatek swatted a stray ball at the back wall near a ball kid drawing jeers and whistles from some fans. Swiatek further annoyed some fans when she held up Andreeva as the teenager was serving at 2-1, 40-30, to engage the chair umpire for a bit.
It’s been a frustrating season for Swiatek, who had not dropped a set at Indian Wells since the 2023 semifinals—until Andreeva won the opener tonight. Swiatek is a fantastic front-runner, but sometimes shows her stress when trailing. Andreeva knew she unsettled the champion and took it to her from all angles.
This victory comes three weeks after an inspired Andreeva burst through five straight games scoring a stunning 6-3, 6-3 sweep of Swiatek to charge into her maiden WTA 1000 semifinal at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
In this rematch, Andreeva transitioned from defense to offense smoothly, stung her first serve, including firing serves over 120 mph, and burned the second seed with that wondrous two-handed backhand.
Contesting her fourth straight Indian Wells semifinal, Swiatek won eight straight service points to open. Andreeva won her first return point to start the fifth game. Swiatek swatted successive aces and lashed a forehand winner down the line holding for 3-2.
When the Pole double faulted to face 30-all in the ninth game, she slapped away a stray ball in disgust showing signs of tension. Andreeva answered with a diagonal forehand return and forced a forehand error drawing first break blood for 5-4.
The Dubai champion served for a one-set lead but Swiatek slammed a forehand swing volley then imposed her forehand breaking back to level after 10 games.
The teenager threw down some of her fastest serves of the set—including a 121 mph bullet down the T—holding to force the tiebreaker.
Carrying a 4-0 tiebreaker record on the season into this extra session, Andreeva elevated again. Andreeva whipped her fourth ace down the T and slid a backhand winner crosscourt surging to a 5-1 lead.
A slick half-volley pick-up set up a high forehand volley as Andreeva earned a fistful of set points. She needed only one, closing the 55-minute opening set on a Swiatek backhand error.
An anxious Swiatek was barking at her box in frustration after seeing Andreeva snap her streak of 20 straight sets at Indian Wells. It was the first set Swiatek lost at the BNP Paribas Open since the 2023 semifinals against Elena Rybakina.
The youngest WTA 1000 champion in history hit eight more winners—18 to 10—in an opening set that saw her win 22 of 25 first-serve points. Andreeva improved her 2025 tiebreaker record to 5-0, while Swiatek dropped to 1-4 in breakers.
How would Swiatek respond to her first BNP Paribas Open deficit in years?
The five-time Grand Slam champion immediately broke to start the second set.
The world No. 2 has the fastest first step in the sport.
Urgency echoed around Stadium 1 in the squealing sound of Swiatek’s On sneakers. Taking short preparation steps, the Pole pounded a backhand winner down the line. Wisely hitting a dipping pass, Swiatek forced Andreeva to play a low volley. The Russian netted it as Swiatek scored her second break of the set for 4-1.
A revved up Swiatek was spinning her forehand deep in the court forcing the teenager to defend behind the baseline.
Stepping into the court, Swiatek drained errors sealing her third break of the second set to force a decider. Yellow-capped members of Swiatek’s team bobbed their heads in synchronized affirmation seeing her completely transform the semifinal.
Bidding to become the youngest woman to reach the Indian Wells final since Kim Clijsters in 2001, Andreeva dropped a set for the first time in the tournament.
Consulting her notebook on changeovers, Andreeva rewrote the script on court.
Swiatek double faulted and was frozen by the teenager’s two-handed winner down the line. The champion double faulted then netted a backhand to cede the break to start the final set.
Jittery forehand errors plagued Swiatek, who sailed a wild forehand—her sixth error of the set—as Andreeva held for 2-0.
Andreeva was serving when the game within a game erupted. Swiatek stopped play to briefly engage the chair umpire over some issue.
When play resumed, Andreeva zapped a forehand down the line holding for 3-1 with a loud roar—a verbal “take that for stalling me.”
An ornery Swiatek slapped a stray ball at the back wall near a ball kid. That rash, rude act prompted jeers and whistles from some fans. Andreeva broke at 15 for 4-1.
The defending champion dug in to break back then defended serve reducing the gap to 4-3.
When Andreeva withstood a sustained attack on her forehand wing, spinning a series of forehands down the line to hold for 5-3 her coach, Conchita Martinez, sprang from her seat and saluted her charge with a standing ovation.
Swiatek came undone in a flurry of errors to end a two hour, 17-minute semifinal.
Since the start of the 2024 season, Andreeva is 8-5 vs. Top 10 opponents and will carry an 18-3 record on the season into the final.