Mirra Andreeva moved into the China Open final in Beijing on Saturday, defeating 26th seed Nikola Bartunkova in straight sets to continue a landmark week on the hard courts.
The fourth seed required 1 hour and 14 minutes to secure her 50th match win of the season, drawing level with Jessica Pegula for the highest total on the WTA Tour this year. The result came one day after Andreeva confirmed her place at the season-ending WTA Finals.
Andreeva set for new career-high ranking
- Andreeva arrived in the Beijing semifinal as the No. 4 seed and faced No. 26 seed Bartunkova for a place in Sunday’s championship match.
- The Russian delivered a straight-sets victory, closing the contest in 74 minutes.
- Her 50th win of the season matched Pegula’s tour-leading victory total.
- The semifinal run will send Andreeva to world No. 3 when the new rankings are released next week, the highest position of her career.
Sunday final awaits
Andreeva will play either 13th seed Elise Mertens or former world No. 4 Zheng Qinwen in the China Open final. The title match offers the 18-year-old a chance to add another major trophy to a season that has already earned her a debut appearance at the WTA Finals.
