The biggest upset of Thursday’s action at the WTA 1000 event in Dubai came from Mirra Andreeva, who eliminated top seed Iga Swiatek in surprisingly dominant fashion. The Pole was the last of the top five seeds remaining in the draw at the quarterfinal stage, but Andreeva made the most of her opportunity, securing a stunning straight-sets victory, 6-3, 6-3.
Despite the seemingly one-sided scoreline, the match was highly competitive. Both players created eight breakpoints and faced similar amounts of pressure points—Andreeva with 25 and Swiatek with 22. However, Andreeva’s ability to hold her nerve in key moments proved decisive. The young Russian saved seven out of eight breakpoints and defended 16 out of 22 pressure points, whereas Swiatek struggled to handle the pressure effectively. Additionally, Swiatek's 31 unforced errors made it difficult for her to maintain a consistent level against Andreeva’s steady play.
This victory marks another milestone in Andreeva’s short but highly promising career. Having already defeated some of the biggest names in the WTA Tour before her 18th birthday in late April, she now rises to a career-high ranking of 12th in the live rankings.
Next, she will face Elena Rybakina in the semifinals. Rybakina, currently the highest-ranked player remaining in the draw, bounced back strongly after enduring a grueling three-hour thriller against Paula Badosa on Wednesday. She controlled the course of play in her quarterfinal clash against Sofia Kenin, ultimately winning 6-2, 7-6(2). Although Rybakina will enter the match as the favorite, Andreeva has already proven she can compete at the highest level and is capable of another upset.
Clara Tauson emerged victorious in a battle between two young in-form players, defeating Linda Noskova 7-6(4), 6-4. Tauson, who has enjoyed a strong season and excelled during the Middle East swing, will now take on Karolina Muchova in the semifinals.
Muchova, the 14th seed, performed well in her role as the favorite against Sorana Cirstea. The Romanian, coming off a grueling five hours of tennis on Wednesday—including a three-hour marathon against Emma Navarro—fought hard but ultimately fell short. Despite losing the first set 6-2, Cirstea made the second set competitive, but Muchova held firm to seal a 6-2, 7-5 victory. She will enter Friday’s semifinal as a slight favorite against Tauson on paper, but it's worth noticing, that the Dane has a little bit of advantage in particular areas, looking just on the stats from this week so far.
