Mirra Andreeva defeats compatriot Ekaterina Alexandrova to book Beijing semi-final spot

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/andreeva-mirra/lI6fOOat/"]Andreeva[/a], the 19-year-old fourth seed, is the favourite for the tournament in Beijing now that a series of upsets have knocked out her more esteemed rivals.[/p][p]The French Open champion dropped just three points to grab a two-game lead but still needed a tie-break to edge 28th-ranked [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/alexandrova-ekaterina/dzbgeEFF/"]Alexandrova[/a] in the first set.[/p][p]Both players struggled to extend rallies in a sparsely populated stadium as they tumbled into another tie-break.[/p][embed guid="11124bbd-b734-4a3a-8826-b151747e909e" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pYZ_l5AWLw&pp=ygUIYW5kcmVldmE%3D" social-type="youtube" /][p]Andreeva found the breakthrough with a masterful forehand to go 3-2 ahead, then held her nerve, dropping just one more point [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/alexandrova-e-dzbgeEFF/andreeva-m-lI6fOOat/?mid=rPhqXvBC"]before crossing the finish line[/a].[/p][p]"[b]I am very happy that we finished this match, because I knew if it (went) to the third set it's going to be really tough for both of us[/b]," Andreeva said.[/p][p]"[b]She played unbelievable[/b]," the teenager said of her 31-year-old opponent. "[b]What a match[/b]."[/p]