Andreeva sweeps past Pegula to reach WTA Finals title match after hot-mic controversy

Russian teen beats American 6-3, 6-4 at Indian Wells French Open champion, 19, assures world No 2 ranking Andreeva to face Noskova or Svitolina in Sunday’s final The rise of Mirra Andreeva has seemed inevitable ever since she burst on to the tour as a precocious 15-year-old more

Russian teen beats American 6-3, 6-4 at Indian Wells French Open champion, 19, assures world No 2 ranking Andreeva to face Noskova or Svitolina in Sunday’s final The rise of Mirra Andreeva has seemed inevitable ever since she burst on to the tour as a precocious 15-year-old more than three years ago, but this week, six months after her maiden grand slam triumph at Roland Garros, she has taken another massive step forward in her career. The 19-year-old will attempt to close out the most impressive week of her career by winning one of her most significant titles after thoroughly outplaying Jessica Pegula, the fifth seed, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the championship match of the WTA Finals at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. A year ago, Andreeva surprisingly failed to qualify for the WTA Finals, missing out by a paltry six points after bizarrely deciding not to compete in the final tournament week before the event.

The world No 3 has been utterly supreme in her long-awaited debut appearance, bulldozing through elite opposition to reach the final without dropping a set. She has conceded just 18 games in four matches this week, including a 6-4, 6-0 demolition of the No 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka, winning 11 games in a row from 1-4 down. Continue reading...