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!
I am a sports journalist who has written for a number of Sportish. I have a background in journalism and have been writing since I was young. My main focus is sports news, but I also write about general news. I am currently working as an author at Sportish.
39-year-old French tennis player and husband of Elina Svitolina Gael Monfils (ATP 110) Withdrew from the 2026 Australian Open.
The Frenchman lost to the Australian in four sets in the first round of the major tournament in Melbourne Dane Sweeney (ATP 182) in 3 hours 54 minutes.
Australian Open 2026. 1/64 finals
Dane Sweeney (Australia) [Q] – Gael Monfils (France) – 6:7 (3:7), 7:5, 6:4, 7:5
Monfils played on the Australian Open courts for the 20th time. For Gael, this was his last match at the Australian slam; He will retire in 2026.
Gael’s best results at the Aus Open are quarter-finals in 2016 and 2022. Sweeney will face eighth seed Ben Shelton in the second round.
“First of all, thank you very much. My journey started with you in 2005 – that’s when I first came here. Now the year is 2026 and somehow this is already the finish line. Thank you very much for this amazing journey. You were incredible. Thank you very much. I have very good memories here… Great battles. I am lucky to have played here for many years.”
I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
(Melbourne) The ex-no 1 world Naomi Osaka (current 17e in the WTA rankings) qualified Tuesday in three sets for the second round of the Australian Open.
Crowned in Melbourne in 2019 and 2021, the Japanese won 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 against the Croatian Antonia Ruzic (65e).
The four-time Grand Slam winner will play in the next round against Romanian Sorana Cirstea (41e), who started the last Australian Open of her career at age 35 by eliminating the German Eva Lys (39e).
Entering the court with a white parasol, a wide-brimmed hat and a long white train, Osaka started the match with her feet on the ground to quickly lead 3-0.
Ruzic recovered to 3-3 before again losing three games in a row and the first set.
The Croatian responded in the second round, winning by the same score.
In the decisive set, Osaka broke from the start to break away at 2-0, but Ruzic came back to her level again before taking her throw in to lead 4-3, service to follow.
This time it was the Japanese who held on to get back to 4-4, before inflicting a shutout then a new break on Ruzic to seal her qualification with a final winning backhand, after almost 2 hours 30 minutes of fighting.
Osaka played her first Grand Slam match on Tuesday since her semi-final at the United States Open in September, her best run in a major tournament since she returned to the circuit in early 2024 after the birth of her first child.
I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
(Melbourne) World No.2 Jannik Sinner, double title holder, benefited on Tuesday from the retirement of Frenchman Hugo Gaston (93e), injured his abdominals, to qualify for the second round of the Australian Open.
The 24-year-old Italian was leading 6-2, 6-1 when Gaston threw in the towel.
“It’s the abs that have given up a little. I felt the pain in the middle of the first round. I called the doctor immediately at the end of the first round to get an anti-inflammatory,” explained the Frenchman who suddenly felt “like a little stab”.
He fell during the first round after returning a drop shot from Sinner, but he assured that the injury and the fall were not linked.
On the other hand, the pain in his abdominals bothered him a lot “on serve and on high balls”.
“I saw that he was not serving at a very high speed, especially in the second set,” commented Jannik Sinner in his post-match interview on Central.
“I am very happy to qualify, to return to this place that I particularly cherish […]but that’s not the way I wanted to win this match,” added the world No.2.
Sinner’s next opponent will be Croatian Dino Prizmic (127e) or the Australian James Duckworth (88e).
For his first official match of the season, the four-time Grand Slam tournament winner took a little time to settle down, notably having to save three break points in the first game.
But once he managed to take Gaston’s serve in the particularly tight sixth game, Sinner unfolded, winning the next seven games. A few moments after snatching his only game in a one-sided second round, the Frenchman informed his opponent that he was giving up, after a little over an hour of match.
“Giving up pisses me off a bit,” Gaston commented. But hey, on the other hand I can’t afford to play at 50%, even 100%, to beat Sinner…”
Undefeated since his retirement at the beginning of October in the third round of the Masters 1000 in Shanghai, the world No.2 scored a sixteenth victory in a row on Tuesday and joined Carlos Alcaraz (1) in the second round of the Australian Open.er), Alexander Zverev (3e) and Novak Djokovic (4e).
“I felt very well prepared, we worked a lot physically and on the court” during the offseason, said Sinner, who skipped the Davis Cup finals in Bologna in November to have an additional week of preparation for the 2026 season.
For his part, Lorenzo Musetti, seeded fifth, progressed due to the retirement of Raphaël Collignon of Belgium in the fourth round.
The score was 4-6, 7-6 (3), 7-5 and 3-2. The nature of the injury has not been released.
Shelton hits hard
The 23-year-old American Ben Shelton inherited probably the worst draw, in the person of the first ATP player not to have been seeded, the Frenchman Ugo Humbert.
But last year’s semi-finalist, who made his name by reaching the quarter-finals in Melbourne in 2023 despite never having left the United States, was uncompromising and won 6-3, 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/5).
PHOTO MARTIN KEEP, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Ben Shelton
“It’s always difficult to face Humbert in the first round, but I remained very calm, very focused on my game and I played better and better,” he stressed with satisfaction.
He will play in the second round against the Australian Dane Sweeny (182e).
Monfils eliminated in the first round of his last tournament in Australia
Gaël Monfils, who will end his career at the end of the season, was eliminated Tuesday in the first round of his last Australian Open by the inexperienced Australian Dane Sweeny (182e world) 6-7 (3/7), 7-5, 6-4, 7-5.
The 39-year-old Frenchman plays his 23e and final season. Ex-world No.6 currently 110ehe was playing his 20e Australian major since his first participation in 2005. He has reached the quarter-finals twice, in 2016 and 2022.
PHOTO PAUL CROCK, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Gaël Monfils
“My journey began here in 2003 (in qualifying, Editor’s note). We are in 2026 and it is the finish line, but thank you all for accompanying me, you were great,” he told the audience from the court while generally only the winner of the matches, before the final, speaks on the field.
“I fought four hours again today, but this guy (Sweeny) is very strong. I wish him good luck,” he added to his winner.
For the latter, the victory is particularly beautiful, because in addition to having beaten one of the great names in tennis of the last twenty years, he offered himself his first victory in a Grand Slam tournament.
“It’s like I’m in a series… it’s incredible,” he commented. Before the match started, his goal was “win or lose, enjoy the chance to be there.”
As usual, the most popular French player since Yannick Noah spared no effort. And despite the encouragement of the public – in particular from a group of French people – the youth of his opponent (24 years old) visibly prevailed, as Monfils appeared so tired.
Broken one last time to be down 6-5 in the fourth set and the Australian’s service to follow, Monfils failed to reverse the situation.
“You’re here, you played your 20are Australian Open and you have entered a very closed circle: you are six players from the Open era (since the 1969 edition) to have reached this bar,” tournament director Craig Tiley told him, who came to greet him on the court.
“We want to thank you for your career, your attitude and the way you taught us how to play this wonderful game. Well done,” added Tiley.
Monfils’ last match in Melbourne, greeted by a hearty ovation from the public with “thank you Gaël” sung in the stands, lasted 3 hours 51 minutes.
I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
