Mirra Andreeva booked her place in the Indian Wells final after downing defending champion Iga Swiatek in three thrilling sets. (More Tennis News)
Andreeva, who beat Swiatek to become the youngest winner of a WTA 1000 tournament in Dubai last month, beat the Pole 7-6 (7-1) 1-6 6-3 in two hours and 17 minutes.
Swiatek started the contest in red-hot form, producing back-to-back love service games, but Andreeva was able to withstand the early pressure to stay in the encounter.
And it was the teenager who would take the first set, conceding just a single point in the tie-break, though Swiatek responded swiftly in the second.
The world number two raced through the second set with a trio of breaks, but she was unable to continue her dominance in the decider as Andreeva snatched back control.
After a break in the opening game, Andreeva held her nerve and sealed an 11th consecutive victory when Swiatek smashed the ball into the net following a fierce return.
"I just felt like, I don't know why I felt so much confidence, and I felt like I was going to go and play the tie-break like it's the last tie-break of my life," Andreeva said afterwards.
"So I just went for all my shots. My serve was great, and, you know, just felt super comfortable and super confident during the tie-break. I kind of played on a roll."
Data Debrief: Teenage dream rolls on
Andreeva is the fifth player to reach the final at Indian Wells before turning 18 years old since the tournament's inception in 1989.
And she joins an illustrious list of former grand slam winners and world number ones, with Kim Clijsters (2001), Monica Seles (1991), Martina Hingis (1998) and Serena Williams (1999) also achieving the feat.
Andreeva is also just the third player to achieve more than 10 consecutive WTA match wins before turning 21 this century, after Maria Sharapova and Nicole Vaidisova.
And the talented teen secured the win through a method she has become accustomed to battling through. She is the player with the most tie-breaks played in 2025 without losing one so far this season (five).
