'Fearless' Andreeva makes it three straight over Swiatek to reach Stuttgart semifinals

Mirra Andreeva joined a short list of players Friday when she defeated Iga Swiatek for the third straight time, advancing to the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix semifinals.

Stuttgart: Scores | Draws | Order of play

Having beaten the former World No. 1 in Dubai and Indian Wells last year, the 18-year-old completed the trifecta with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 comeback victory in 2 hours and 36 minutes to reach her first Stuttgart semifinal.

"I was just trying to be fearless,” Andreeva said in her on-court interview. "I was trying to go for my shots because I know when I’m getting tight, I tend to just put the ball in… just waiting, praying for the opponent to make a mistake. And I knew that against someone like (Swiatek), it was never going to happen. So I was forcing myself to finish the match on my own."

She did exactly that. After dropping the first set and falling behind by a break in the decider, Andreeva refused to spiral. Instead, she kept repeating the same message to herself.

"No matter what’s happening, I have to keep fighting," she said. "I can win from any score."

From 2-0 down, Andreeva surged to a 5-2 lead and moments later served out the match to clinch her sixth career Top 5 win and her third victory over Swiatek in four meetings.

Here’s how she did it.

Set 1: Andreeva struck first, breaking Swiatek in the opening game and saving a break point to consolidate for 2-0. But after a slow start, Swiatek quickly found herself. She held at love, broke back for 2-2 and, after surviving a six-deuce game to hold for 3-2, had fully flipped the momentum. That game featured a brilliant backhand pass to earn a game point and a forehand winner to create another before she sealed the hold with an ace.

As Swiatek’s level rose, Andreeva’s forehand began to falter. Swiatek broke again for 5-3 and earned a chance to serve out the set. An Andreeva forehand error gave Swiatek her first set point, which Andreeva saved, but the two-time Stuttgart champion converted the second with a sharp-angled backhand winner to close out the set in 52 minutes.

Set 2: Andreeva again jumped out to an early break, firing a backhand winner down the line for a 2-0 lead. Swiatek immediately responded, breaking back for 2-1, and the two continued trading breaks over the next few games before Swiatek ended the run with a hold for 3-3.

A few games later, Andreeva put away a winner at the net to hold for 5-4, setting up a chance to steal the set with a late break. She did just that, earning a set point and converting it with a forehand return winner to force a decider. The story of the set for Andreeva was the mentality she described afterwards: playing fearlessly. An uneven first set didn’t deter her. She finished the second set with 13 winners, more than double the six she hit in the opener.

Set 3: This was where Andreeva finished the match on her own terms. For the first time all day, Swiatek broke first, taking the opening game and a 2-0 lead. But from there, Andreeva took total control, rediscovering the form she carried through the end of the second set and riding it to the finish line.

She did so by playing aggressive, yet disciplined tennis. She struck nine winners against just four unforced errors in the set, picking her spots and hitting them when she needed to. She broke for the final time at 4-2, consolidated with a confident hold and closed out the match from there to book her semifinal spot.

There, she’ll face No. 1 seed Elena Rybakina, who saved two match points in a three-hour thriller against Leylah Fernandez to reach the last four.

"The last time I played against Rybakina was in Indian Wells," Andreeva said in her post-match press conference. "Obviously she's got a great serve. She likes to be offensive, she likes to go for her shots, and she's also won this tournament here, so she knows how to play on this surface."

Andreeva is 2-1 against Rybakina, having won both of their meetings last year in Dubai and Indian Wells. Sound familiar?