Mirra Andreeva topped Daria Kasatkina in straight sets to reach her second straight Roland Garros quarterfinal and prove she’s no longer just a prodigy.
After last fall’s final at the WTA 500 in Ningbo, China, champion Daria Kasatkina comforted the sobbing Mirra Andreeva.
It was a winding, grinding three-set match, and the 17-year-old took the loss hard.
A friendship has developed and, despite an age difference of a decade, the two try to practice together before every tournament. They know each other’s game intimately.
They met for a second time on Monday in the fourth round at Roland Garros, and Andreeva demonstrated how far she’s come in seven short months. And why, even at only 18, she’s become a realistic threat to win any tournament she plays.
After Andreeva emerged as the 6-3, 7-5 winner on Court Suzanne Lenglen, there were no tears, just a warm embrace.
“Maybe we know each other too good,” Kasatkina said later, laughing. “Maybe we have to take a break in practicing. No, I’m kidding. To lose to a friend is not that bad. For me, it’s normal. I’m happy to have a friend and lose to the friend than have an enemy.
“When you play someone like a top player like Mirra, everything comes into the details. There’s nothing particular that I can tell you. But those important points, we were battling hard.”
Andreeva served well, saving three of five break points, and was just a little better in almost every aspect.
“I knew today we would have a lot of long points,” Andreeva told reporters. “I felt like she reads where I’m going to play. She knew when I’m going to hit a dropshot, which side, and I felt like I was running from corner to corner a lot.
Who is more likely to fall in Tuesday’s quarterfinals from the top half of the Roland Garros draw?
“Of course, it’s not a nice feeling, but this match was very intense. I’m happy that I managed to keep playing the game and win the match in the end.”
Andreeva is the youngest woman to reach back-to-back quarterfinals at Roland Garros since Martina Hingis (1997-1998).
On Wednesday she’ll face Lois Boisson, the surprising French wild card who stunned No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula
in three sets. A win there would match last year’s semifinal run, still Andreeva’s best Grand Slam performance to date.
A year ago, Andreeva was No. 38 in the PIF WTA Tour Rankings. Today, after winning back-to-back WTA 1000 titles earlier this year in Dubai and Indian Wells, she’s a No. 6.
“Honestly, I feel like she’s taller and taller every single week,” Kasatkina said. “I see a lot with the serve that she’s improving because of practicing a lot. Everyone sees that she’s moving on the court — the movement is very good.
“I feel mentally she became stronger as well. This is something I see every time we are hitting the practice court.”
And since Andreeva’s younger than all of her Top 10 rivals, she’s likely to get even better.
“It gives me a lot of confidence to know that I’m able to get to those [long] points and put a lot of balls back on the court,” Andreeva said. “And I feel like even after running for so long, I’m able to generate more power if I need to.”
Stay ahead with the latest updates! Join The ConclaveNG on WhatsApp and Telegram for real-time news alerts, breaking stories, and exclusive content delivered straight to your phone. Don’t miss a headline — subscribe now!
