Mirra Andreeva celebrated her 17th birthday on Madrid clay by earning a quarter-final berth at a Masters 1000 tournament for the first time, backing up her second career top-10 win – over Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova – with a similarly gritty victory to knock out Jasmine Paolini 24 hours later.
Andreeva at it again in Madrid
HAVING caught the eye with her prodigious talent on this very surface and event twelve months prior, it’s not as surprising to see Mirra Andreeva build on that breakthrough campaign against contemporaries she’s maturing against this term.
Beating the tournament’s seventh seed, Marketa Vondrousova, 7-5 and 6-1 on Sunday is one thing but being able to back it up with another straight-sets win over her third seeded opponent in Jasmine Paolini speaks volumes.
Since dropping the opening set in her three-set victory over America’s Taylor Townsend on Wednesday, the Russian teenager showed exactly why she told Tennis Channel’s Prakash Amritraj why she feels more “like a grown-up”, at a time where the bulk of the world’s best players aren’t much older than her.
Her run so far
R1: Recovered from a set down, to beat Taylor Townsend 46, 61, 75
R2: Was a set and break down, rallied to pip Linda Noskova [29] 46, 63, 63
R3: 7-5, 6-1 winner against Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova [7]
R4: Fought back from set point down, backed up scalp beating Paolini 76, 64
Andreeva made her splash on the pro scene with a fourth-round run as a wildcard in her second-ever WTA-level main draw tournament, beating a pair of top-20 players before eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka stood in her way.
Reigning French Open titlist Iga Swiatek doesn’t turn 23 for another month, while US Open champion Coco Gauff (20), Australian Open runner-up Qinwen Zheng, Marta Kostyuk (both 21) and Linda Noskova (19) are just a handful of top-ranked names above Andreeva in the world’s top 30 at the time of writing.
Speaking of Melbourne, Andreeva’s straight-sets win over multi-time Major finalist Ons Jabeur was seen as a surprise. Not only was it her first top-10 scalp, but needing less than an hour to complete the job (6-0, 6-2) was a startling sight.
The 17-year-old had a commanding 4-1 lead in both sets against Vondrousova, but had to fend off a spirited fightback by the Wimbledon titlist in set one and produce some even better ball-striking to avoid deja vu during a markedly different set two.
Winning nine of the last ten games contested, the Russian’s serving was superb in the second set – 93% first serve percentage, losing just two points behind it – Vondrousova had little opportunity to claw her way back into proceedings.
Andreeva, like many teenage talents, has not been without her fair share of inconsistency. That will likely continue as the year-long calendar and grind forces adjustments, more often than not, but while the discussion centred around petulance under pressure at SW19 last summer, there’s a sense she has learned.
Everyone endures negative experiences but she has a wise head in her corner. 1994 Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez began coaching her on a trial basis here, after an three-month stint with Marie Bouzkova to begin the campaign.
Mostly widely known as the longtime coach of recently-retired double Major champion Garbine Muguruza, the Spaniard’s situational knowhow could prove invaluable at a time where Andreeva needs the right guidance.
“I feel more mature even though there’s not much of a difference in my age. Last year, I was hoping for some kind of miracle when playing against everybody, that on these pressure points, they would give me something with their mistakes .. or something will happen for me to just win. Now I know and I’m sure I will not win without doing something myself.”
Having bested Dubai champion Paolini in straight-sets during the day session, her reward is a chance at revenge against defending champion Sabalenka as the world no. 2 recovered from a set down to end Danielle Collins’ 15-match win streak tonight.
Sabalenka hit 39 winners to 20 unforced errors, had more than a 10-point first serve percentage edge (66%) and snatched six of her nine break point chances. During her on-court interview, per Tennis Channel, the Belarusian said:
“She played unbelievable tennis, thank you for staying that late and supporting us, that’s why I really love Madrid – you make the tournament special. I just stayed aggressive and put pressure back on her, was fighting for every point and making sure you guys enjoy watching us play.”
Picture source: Getty Images, quotes via tennis.com unless stated
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