Mira Andreeva defeated Jessica Pegula 6-3, 6-4 on Friday, November 15, to reach the WTA Finals championship match in her debut appearance at the year-end tournament.
The French Open champion advanced through the tournament with an unblemished record after also defeating world number six Elina Svitolina, world number two Aryna Sabalenka, and Diana Shnaider during round-robin play.
She is now the youngest player to reach the final since Maria Sharapova accomplished the feat at age 17 in 2004. Andreeva joins Serena Williams and Chris Evert as one of the few players to start the event with four consecutive victories without a loss.
“I think I can be proud of myself,” Andreeva told Tennis Channel. “I am very happy with my current condition and the way I cope with the pressure. I understand that this match is very important.”
Pegula held advantages of 2-1 and 3-1 in both sets but failed to capitalize on early service breaks. Andreeva maintained control to close out the contest in one hour and 25 minutes.
Elina Svitolina advanced to her second WTA Finals title match by defeating Linda Noskova 6-2, 6-1 in the second semifinal.
Svitolina, the 2018 tournament champion and 2019 runner-up, needed just 65 minutes to eliminate Noskova. The Czech player struggled with 11 double faults and managed only two winners.
The 32-year-old Ukrainian returned to the world top 10 this year for the first time since the birth of her daughter, Skai, in 2022. Svitolina described her return to the title match as a special opportunity.
Svitolina will face Andreeva in the championship match on Sunday, November 16, at 3:00 a.m. local time, setting up a rematch of their round-robin encounter earlier in the week.
“She is in good shape, but I feel like I’ve found my playing style back since I lost to her earlier in the week,” Svitolina said.
Records show the final match begins at 3:00 a.m. on November 16.
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