By Trevor Stynes
(Reuters) – Mirra Andreeva will be looking to build on her excellent season when she arrives at Roland Garros and the Russian teenager has the mental strength and attitude needed to upset the top players again at this year’s French Open.
Last year, Andreeva was the only unseeded player to reach the quarter-finals, but comes into this year’s tournament ranked sixth in the world as she looks to at least match her 2024 semi-final appearance.
Andreeva, who turned 18 last month, became the youngest player to capture a WTA 1000 title with her Dubai win in February, beating three Grand Slam champions — Marketa Vondrousova, Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina — along the way.
After winning her first, Andreeva won back-to-back WTA 1000 crowns with her Indian Wells triumph the following month, beating world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the final having dispatched number two Swiatek in the semis.
Since partnering with coach Conchita Martinez a year ago, Andreeva’s career has really taken off, and even the Spanish former Wimbledon champion has been surprised by the Russian’s rise.
“Winning Dubai and winning Indian Wells, that was a little bit… I don’t know, I don’t want to say she couldn’t do it, but it was a progress and all of a sudden it just went like a sky rocket,” Martinez said.
“She’s getting stronger and now I feel like she of course can compete with the big girls. That’s probably the progress that does surprise me more.”
In the clay season, Andreeva has reached the quarter-finals of both the Madrid and Italian Open quarter-finals, losing to Coco Gauff on each occasion, but that marks an improvement on her French Open preparations 12 months ago.
Andreeva went out in the opening round in Rome last year, but followed up with her march to the semis in Paris, beating Sabalenka on the way, and will be a player most will want to avoid in the draw.
Along with her mobility and court awareness, her mental strength, discipline and fearlessness belie her age, and Andreeva has shown she has what it takes to go toe to toe with the biggest names in tennis, and come out on top.
She had lost to Sabalenka twice this year before their meeting in the Indian Wells decider and despite losing the opening set, Andreeva battled back to down the world’s top player.
“I would like to thank myself for fighting until the end and for always believing in me and for never quitting,” Andreeva said.
Andreeva goes into the French Open even more confident than last year, and with three-times defending champion Iga Swiatek struggling for form, the Russian’s first Grand Slam crown looks within reach.
(Reporting by Trevor Stynes, editing by Ed Osmond)
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