Tennis
16-year-old Russian crushes the favorites at Wimbledon. Even Sharapova could not do that!
Mirra Andreeva / Photo: © John Walton – PA Images / Contributor / PA Images / Gettyimages.ru
The fantastic game of Mirra Andreeva provided her with the first 1/8 finals at the Grand Slam tournaments.
There are not so many surprises at the women’s Wimbledon yet. The clear favorite of each Grand Slam tournament, Iga Swiatek, continues to confidently go round after round, so many are already confident that she will take the title.
For Russian fans, the main intrigue after the departure of Darya Kasatkina was the ability of Mirra Andreeva. The 16-year-old athlete impresses with her game more and more with each tournament, and in London she has already overcome two rounds.
On Sunday, she was to meet with the winner of the Junior Wimbledon 2016 Anastasia Potapova, but the status of her opponent again did not bother the young Russian woman. A native of Krasnoyarsk continues to crush the favorites that stand in her way!
An agonizing wait
The third round match between the two Russians was scheduled for Saturday afternoon. However, the meeting had to be postponed to the next day: the rain was to blame, as well as the protracted matches of the previous participants in the tournament.
Tennis players endured a long and agonizing wait. They eventually entered the game after almost a day from the originally planned time.
For Mirra and Nastya, this was only the second experience of playing against each other. The first time Andreeva lost to a more experienced compatriot on hard in Monastir: 3:6, 7:6, 3:6. In 1/16 of Wimbledon, Potapova could also count on the status of a favorite, but with a slight stretch.
For Mirra, this match was a chance to step over another important step. The victory over Potapova gave the opportunity to repeat the record of the American Gauf and become the second who, at such a young age, reached the 1/8 finals of the oldest grass tournament. Even the great Maria Sharapova never dreamed of such an achievement!
Peerless start
The start of the match was much better for young Mirra. The 102nd racket of the world entered the court with less psychological burden and immediately made a break. Nastya responded with a similar action, but then Andreeva dictated her game.
Four games in a row, which the 16-year-old Russian took, determined the fate of the first set. Mirra was especially powerful in the eighth game, in which she took her serve to zero and set the final score – 6:2.
22-year-old Potapova made much more unforced errors (16:4), which was the result of an aggressive game that she herself imposed on her opponent. Alas, the strength and speed of the blows were not converted into positive indicators on the scoreboard.
Series of tipping points
In the second set the game became more emotional. Potapova, having lost the first game on her serve, pulled herself together and won four games in a row (4:1). Then Mirra showed willpower, making a break and leveling the score (4:4).
In the ninth game, Potapova “burned” 0:40, but pulled out three draws in a row on her character. With the score “exactly” Andreeva constantly came out ahead, and Nastya recouped. The game, which lasted more than ten minutes, contained a total of 10 Mirra’s break points, but she failed to convert any of them. Potapova, with an incredible cry, finished the rally in the most important segment of the set – 5:4. The usually restrained Andreeva vented her emotions by hitting her thigh several times.
It was difficult for both athletes to get together after such a shootout. Potapova made two set-balls, but failed to convert them. Moreover, Nastya can only blame herself: with the score at 40:30, she, having an advantage in the draw, hit the net in a simple situation. Now luck smiled at Mirra, and she managed to keep the intrigue in the second set – 5:5.
A native of Krasnoyarsk received a surge of strength and tried to finish the match here and now. On Potapova’s serve, the struggle began again, as it was in almost every game in the second segment of the match. But Nastya’s next mistake gave her young opponent an advantage – a break and the opportunity to apply for the match.
In the 12th game of this set, the audience saw everything: Potapova’s most powerful blows, Andreeva’s candle with fantastic accuracy, and again Nastya’s mistake, which led to a match ball. It seemed that the more experienced tennis player was about to win back, but she again failed to perform the laughter and hit the net.
Andreeva won 6:2, 7:5 and did not hide her emotions, bursting into tears in a towel. Mirra advanced to the round of 16 at her second Grand Slam. Fantastic!
Source: Sportbox
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