After starting her campaign in the qualifying, Mirra Andreeva is now into the fourth round at Wimbledon after brushing past fellow Russian Anastasia Potapova in straight sets. The teenage sensation has been fearless on the big stage this year and she demonstrated once again why she is much just live up to the hype that she has attracted. She was the first to find steady ground in an error ridden first set against Potapova after losing her very first service game. She forced 16 errors and committed just four as she wrapped it up 6-2.
Potapova has been in good form coming into the match, beating Celine Naef and Kaja Juvan, tried to battle back into contention. She had reasons to like her chances – Andreeva had lost at the same stage last month at the French Open in Coco Gauff after winning the first set. But this time Andreeva was not to be denied. Despite going a break down at a seemingly crucial moment in the ninth game of the second set, she quickly broke back at 5-5. Andreeva held serve and broke again to to go 6-5 up and gave herself an opportunity to serve for the match which she took.
She will next take on Madison Keys in the round of 16. Keys will pose a significant step up in the level of opposition with the American’s easy power off both wings allowing her to take the racquet out of opponent’s hands. That is what she has done, by and large, so far at Wimbledon this year in beating Sonay Kartal, Viktorija Golubic and Marta Kostyuk. But if Andreeva’s record so far in her fledgling career is anything to go by, expect her to try to match Keys blow for blow and to refuse to take a backwards step.
Main photo credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
