Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva became the youngest Grand Slam semi-finalist since 1997 with a surprising victory over second seed Aryna Sabalenka at the French Open on Wednesday.
Andreeva, who is 17 years old, fought back from a set down to win 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-4 against Sabalenka, who was struggling with an apparent illness. The match lasted two hours and 29 minutes.
Andreeva will now face Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in the semifinals. At 17 years and 29 days old, she is the youngest woman to reach the semis at a major event since Martina Hingis at the US Open 27 years ago and the youngest at Roland Garros since Hingis in 1997.
“Honestly I was really nervous before the match, I knew she’d have an advantage,” said Andreeva, who had lost both her previous meetings with Sabalenka in straight sets.
“I see the game, I play whenever I want, I don’t really have a plan. When I see an open space on the court I try to play, I try to play behind her back or something like this.
“Me and my coach, we had a plan today but again I didn’t remember anything. I just try to play as I feel.”
Mirra Andreeva will be looking to continue her impressive run and reach the final when she faces Jasmine Paolini on Thursday. Paolini, who had never advanced past the second round at a Grand Slam before this year, will be her opponent in the semi-final.
During the match, Aryna Sabalenka called for multiple medical time-outs due to not feeling well, which Andreeva capitalized on with a composed performance.
Sabalenka, a two-time Australian Open champion, had been dominant in the first four rounds but struggled with her health, breathing heavily between points.
Ranked 38th, Andreeva had already secured a spot in the world’s top 30 with her quarter-final run and is now set to rise even further. The other semi-final will see tournament favorite Iga Swiatek play against US Open champion Coco Gauff.
Sabalenka, who had been aiming for her seventh consecutive Slam semi-final and had won 11 straight matches at the majors following her second Melbourne title earlier this year, fell short in her quest due to her health issues.
Sabalenka Toils
Aryna Sabalenka’s struggles were evident from the start as she double-faulted four times in her first two service games. Despite Andreeva’s nerves, which saw her fail to serve out the first set at 5-4, Sabalenka rallied to win the tie-break.
In the second set, Sabalenka broke Andreeva’s serve in the first game, seemingly poised to dominate. However, Andreeva responded immediately, and Sabalenka continued to show signs of discomfort, shaking her head and crouching between points.
They exchanged breaks before Sabalenka called for the trainer, seeking relief from her apparent illness.
Andreeva gained momentum and took the second set on her second set point as Sabalenka hit a backhand into the net.
Early in the third set, Sabalenka’s grimaces and complaints persisted, but she managed to break Andreeva’s serve to love, taking a 3-2 lead. Yet, she couldn’t maintain this advantage, as Andreeva quickly broke back and moved ahead 5-4.
Serving for the match, Andreeva produced a spectacular lob from deep behind the baseline, sealing her victory in fine style and eliminating the ailing Sabalenka.
