Andreeva beats Sabalenka 6-4, 6-0 and reaches WTA Finals semifinals

From 1-4 down to eleven straight games

Mirra Andreeva beat Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 6-0 in Group B of the WTA Finals in Indian Wells, United States. Sabalenka, ranked second, led 4-1 in the first set before Andreeva, ranked third, won 11 consecutive games. The 19-year-old had won three titles this year, including her first Grand Slam at Roland Garros, and this was her first singles appearance at the WTA Finals. According to SRF and Ziare the match lasted 62 minutes, while G4Media put it at 63 minutes. Ziare reported that Andreeva had won 45 of the last 55 points and finished with 16 winners against eight for Sabalenka, per G4Media and Ziare.

Mirra Andreeva16

Aryna Sabalenka8

Mirra Andreeva

16

Aryna Sabalenka

8

Data from the article text

Sabalenka's harsh self-assessment

Sabalenka had opened the tournament with a win over Karolina Muchova, so the defeat leaves her with one group match still to play. Fanpage reported that she was not seen as the favourite, despite being the top-ranked player left after Rybakina's withdrawal, given her recent months. Asked after the match what she would tell herself if she were her own coach, Sabalenka described herself harshly, calling herself a damned loser. She then added that she should keep trying, because a bad day does not mean the same result tomorrow, and that she works hard and believes she can overcome any difficulty. G4Media counted 23 unforced errors for Sabalenka against six for Andreeva.

Mirra Andreeva6

Aryna Sabalenka23

Mirra Andreeva

6

Aryna Sabalenka

23

Data from the article text

Group B and Friday's decider

Andreeva is the first qualifier from Group B, while Linda Noskova has already secured her semifinal place from Group A, according to ANSA. Andreeva had beaten Svitolina 6-4, 6-0 in her opening match, according to Ziare. Sabalenka now plays Svitolina in her final group match on Friday evening Swiss time, which Blick described as an unofficial quarterfinal. Svitolina had come back from a lost first set to beat Karolina Muchova 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, which eliminated the Czech player from contention, per SRF and Ziare. Fanpage reported that a win over Svitolina would be enough for Sabalenka to pass through.

Gauff criticises the format

Coco Gauff lost to Linda Noskova and then attacked the tournament format, saying it would be strange to be unable to qualify even after winning her own match. Blick reported that Gauff, 22 and ranked fourth, must beat Marta Kostjuk on Thursday evening and hope that her compatriot Jessica Pegula does not win in straight sets against Noskova. A straight-sets Pegula win would put Pegula into the top four on set ratio, per Blick. Noskova, 21 and ranked eighth, has her semifinal ticket secured. Gauff said the system has to change and that everyone knows it.