#BiancaAndreescu’s fantastic 2019 continued after she stunned sixth seed #ElinaSvitolina in the semifinals of the #BNPParibasOpen to reach the biggest final of her career. Just months after making her maiden WTA final and making her top-100 debut, the Canadian broke new grounds in her career and is set to rise to a new career-high ranking of 33 (or even higher) on the coming Monday.
Andreescu fought back from a mid-match hiccup to oust Svitolina, who was unable to produce her best tennis in the thrilling encounter under the lights of Stadium 1. Firing 36 winners, Andreescu’s aggression also brought her 57 unforced errors but it is also that aggression which ultimately won her the match.
It has been a fantastic run for both players, and Svitolina should be proud of her run after playing her fourth three-set match in five matches at this tournament. Andreescu moves into the biggest final of her career, where she will face eighth seed Angelique Kerber.
Andreescu overcomes a slow start to grab the win
Playing on one of the biggest stages in tennis there are bound to be nerves, even more so for the rising star Andreescu who is currently just 18-years-old. She started the biggest semifinal of her career in the worst possible way; portraying the role of an unforced error machine as the Canadian blasted nine unforced errors in the opening three games to gift Svitolina a commanding double-break advantage within a blink of an eye.
To Svitolina’s credit, the Ukrainian remained solid at the baseline and forced errors out from her opponent, playing with some world-class controlled aggression and bursting out to a 3-0 lead. However, all Andreescu needed was just one changeover and she managed to find her range. Once she found her groove, she is simply unstoppable.
Fantastic aggression from Andreescu saw her grabbing one of the breaks back immediately — and a quick service hold finally announced her arrival in Stadium 1. With the deficit minimized to just one solitary game, the Canadian youngster started to loosen herself and played with no nerves; which was reflected on the scoreboard.
Svitolina was becoming increasingly passive, while on the other side of the court Andreescu dictated play more than ever. The sixth seed served in the eighth game, and with the circumstances going against her, she saved two break points in the crucial game. However, she threw in two consecutive double-faults and completely lost the plot; allowing Andreescu to claim her fifth straight game.
Serving for the set, Andreescu showed no signs of nerves which were present at the start of the match, and comfortably took the first set 6-3 having rattled off six consecutive games after trailing by a double-break.
Svitolina fights back for a decider
It was one-way traffic for Andreescu, who just could not stop hitting winners as Svitolina was unable to produce her defence masterclass. Trailing by a set and a break, the Ukrainian was finally handed a rare lifeline as the Canadian blasted a slew of unforced errors and handed the break back.
That was the moment of momentum shift as Svitolina started mixing things up and Andreescu was unable to anticipate what would be coming from her opponent. A thrilling 30-shot rally at 30-30 in the fourth game saw Svitolina having the upper hand and claimed the lead after a period of desperation earlier.
Extending the rallies is Svitolina’s forte and she certainly troubled Andreescu with it. The Canadian youngster became a little impatient and started to overhit, missing two break points and allowing the sixth seed to consolidate the break for a formidable 4-1 lead despite starting the set so well.
Andreescu ultimately managed to stop the rout with an inspired service hold although her forehand was still continuously leaking errors. Svitolina, riding high in confidence and running away with the momentum, eventually sealed the comeback by taking the second set 6-2.
Andreescu overcomes nerves to prevail
Svitolina looked to have the perfect start into the final set, but was undone by her own errors as she completely misjudged a simple volley to get extended to deuce. From there, Andreescu took charge and brutally punished the vulnerable serves, bouncing back to earn the lead in the final set.
And this time, Andreescu was able to consolidate her break and seemed to have regained her momentum, forcing Svitolina to retreat into her defensive zone. Nonetheless, even with the scoreboard looking awful for the Ukranian, the higher-ranked player snatched a confident hold to ease the pressure on herself.
Met with pressure, Andreescu conceded a break point with a double-fault but did so well to hold her nerves and keep her lead. Svitolina’s backhand has been shaky throughout the encounter and it possessed a mediocre amount of power which made it so vulnerable. However, even when she was not playing her best tennis, she was giving it her all.
A run of seven straight points saw Svitolina returning on serve, with Andreescu contributing to most points with her own errors. “She is dying physically,” as Svitolina’s coach Andrew Bettles mentioned during their on-court coaching session. Svitolina knew it and was intentionally extending the rallies, grinding her opponent down. It seemed like that tactic was working as she returned level at 3-3 within a flash.
However, despite feeling the fatigue, Andreescu battled on and regained her lead with a monstrous forehand return winner off a 70 mph second serve waiting to be punished. Svitolina bounced back for a 0-40 lead in the following game — but extraordinarily, Andreescu stunned everyone by consolidating the break and putting herself just one game away from the victory.
Svitolina started to look uninspired and committed a couple of slack errors, but she was given a wake-up call when Andreescu earned a match point. The Ukrainian was fortunate enough to survive for one more game, with the Canadian sending an open court backhand long beyond the baseline.
Serving for the match, the nerves definitely kicked in for Andreescu who seemed to be struggling with cramps as well. She had to save two break points before earning her second match point, which Svitolina saved with a thunderous forehand down-the-line winner. Andreescu started to miss the easy shots on the big points and Svitolina earned another break point as a result, although a fantastic dropshot eliminated the sixth seed’s chances.
Andreescu was fourth-time lucky and finally managed to close out the match as Svitolina finally broke down in a baseline rally, sending a forehand straight into the net. The Canadian managed to seal the famous victory and outlast the tour’s fittest player after two hours and twelve minutes of play.
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