Andreeva reaches showpiece with hard-fought win
Mirra Andreeva booked her place in the Madrid Open final after coming from behind in a second-set tie-break to defeat聽Hailey Baptiste.
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Andreeva, who celebrated her 19th birthday 24 hours earlier, ensured the party continued in the Spanish capital as she earned a hard-fought 6-4 7-6 (10-8) victory.
The No.9 seed will face Marta Kostyuk in the showpiece match as she looks to claim a first WTA-1000 title since last year at Indian Wells.
But Andreeva was forced to bide her time for an opening against Baptiste, who reached the final four by stunning three-time and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka.
However, that opportunity came in the seventh game after Baptiste had missed two points to take a 4-3 lead, and Andreeva held on to go within one set of the final.
Andreeva appeared on course to seal her progression in double-quick time after getting the better of Baptiste's serve in the fifth game before surging into a 4-2 lead.
Baptiste had other ideas. The American won three of the final four games to see the match go the distance, and she started strongly in the tie-break and went 4-0 up.
A third set looked on the cards, but Baptiste squandered her three set-point opportunities, and Andreeva made the most of that reprieve by digging deep and sealing her progression when her opponent sent a backhand long.













