When the hot mic controversy at the WTA Finals erupted at Indian Wells, a lot of people were hung up on Jessica Pegula calling Mirra Andreeva a diva and calling the Russian out for her behavior towards her team. Not to forget, the veteran American also had a lot of praise for the Russians’ on-court talents, something that was at the forefront when the reigning French Open champion had a tremendous comeback win over Aryna Sabalenka, a result that would not have been possible without proper communication with her coach, Conchita Martinez.

“I mean, she gave me a tough time after my warm-up, I’ll be honest,” said Andreeva during her on-court interview. “So we had a good talk because that was one of the worst warm-ups I’ve had in a long time. So she helped me turn things around. She said so many nice words. We’ve talked before the match. So I give, well, 82% of the credit to Conchita for today because I know that I am a very tough person. I’m super self-demanding and I ask a lot for myself and sometimes I feel like my team suffers from that a little bit. So today I just want to give credits to them because today was one of those days where they did everything they could to put me into the right mindset.”

Andreeva was not off in describing her angry mindset at the beginning of the match, as she lost her serve early in the first set and conceded a 4-1 lead. However, that is when the conversations with her coach kicked in, and the young Russian channeled her emotions into her game, reeling off five straight games to win the first set 6-4.

Having won the first set from such a position, there was no stopping Andreeva, as she blew Sabalenka away 6-0 in the second set. The Russian won 25 of the 32 points in the second set, which is 78 percent of the total points, while hitting six winners and making only two unforced errors in the set. In a tremendous winning streak, the 19-year-old won 45 of the next 55 points after going down 4-1 in the first set, which is no mean feat against any player, let alone against a former World No. 1 in Sabalenka.

While making tactical adjustments to Andreeva’s groundstrokes and developing her net play have been key changes introduced by Conchita Martinez, the veteran Spaniard’s best work lies in helping Andreeva manage her emotions on the court. The WTA Finals match against Sabalenka was not the only instance where the Russian teenager was put on the right path by her coach during a match. During her US Open run this year, the 19-year-old felt a bout of nerves during her third-round clash against Nikola Bartunkova. Throughout the match, Martinez kept encouraging her, giving small doses of assurances which did the trick as Andreeva closed out a straight-set victory against a tricky opponent.

Even during this year’s clay court season, which culminated in Andreeva winning her maiden Major title at Roland Garros, Martinez’s imprint was clear. The World No.3 was not having a great time during the warm-up events, often having on-court meltdowns, especially during her match against Anna Bondar in Madrid. However, behind-the-scenes work with Martinez did the trick, and it saw the 19-year-old lift the Suzanne-Lenglen Cup a few weeks later.

Now playing in her first WTA Finals, Andreeva has already won her group and qualified for the semifinals, while the other spot will be decided in a knockout clash.

Mirra Andreeva Qualifies for the Semifinals at the WTA Finals

With her wins over Elina Svitolina and Sabalenka, Andreeva has booked her semifinal spot at the WTA Finals. Her win against Sabalenka and Svitolina’s win against Karolina Muchova earlier in the day have made the qualification scenarios in the Group much more straightforward, unlike in Group 1, where there are many mathematical possibilities.

However, in Group 2, the final round of fixtures will see Sabalenka face Svitolina, while Andreeva will take on Muchova. With a 1-1 win-loss record in the first two matches, the Sabalenka-Svitolina match is a knockout, with the winner getting the other semifinal spot from the group. Even though the Belarusian’s form has not been the best of late, she does have a 6-1 head-to-head record against Svitolina, which will put her in good stead before the match.

The Andreeva-Muchova clash is a dead rubber, as the Russian has already qualified, and with her two losses, the Czech is already out. However, Muchova will be keen to end the event on a high, whereas Andreeva will look to keep her undefeated run going, which will put her in a good position to challenge for the No.1 ranking early in the 2027 season.