Russian tennis player Mirra Andreeva celebrated her 17th birthday on April 29. She celebrated her birthday on the court as a participant in the “thousandth” in Madrid. And she gave herself a great gift!

The 13th racket on the planet fell under Mirra’s hot hand.

First meeting on professional courts

In the 1/8 finals of the WTA 1000 tournament, Andreeva Jr. met with Italian Jasmine Paolini. The Russian’s opponent picked up an excellent pace and won two bright victories in Madrid. Victoria Jimenez-Kasintseva from Andorra (6:0, 6:1) and Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia (6:3, 6:2) admitted defeat to Jasmine.

Mirra’s path along the grid was more difficult. In the first round, the Russian woman barely put the finishing touches on American Taylor Townsend – 4:6, 6:1, 7:5. Then there was a difficult victory over the Czech Linda Noskova (4:6, 6:3, 6:3). Only in the third round did Andreeva manage to gain the upper hand in two sets – she beat another tennis player from the Czech Republic, Marketa Vondrousová (7:5, 6:1).

Mirra and Jasmine had never met on professional courts before. The tournament in Madrid opened a new page in the biography of both tennis players.

Could have taken the second set dry

At the beginning of the match, Andreeva and Paolini did nothing but exchange breaks. With the score 2:2, the Italian took back her serve, which gave her confidence. Mirra swam a little, but perked up when the scoreboard read 2:5 and her opponent had a set point.

Mirra Andreeva / Photo: © Robert Prange / Contributor / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

Having neutralized the danger, the Russian woman completely transformed and began to play much brighter and more aggressively. But Jasmine wilted and increased the number of errors. As a result, Andreeva not only won back the gap, but also took the set in a tiebreak – 7:6 (7:2).

Mirra’s inspiration flowed into the second part. While Jasmine was shooting at outs and nets, the birthday girl calmly took away games. With the score 4:0, it seemed that Andreeva was capable of winning the entire set dry.

But at that moment the Italian remembered her 13th number in the WTA rankings and added intrigue. Jasmine almost won back, first with 0:4, and then with 2:5. To the credit of the Russian, she did not miss the victory – 6:4.

Mirra’s title in Madrid will not be a surprise

Reaching the quarterfinals of the “thousander” became historic for Mirra. Never before had she gotten so far in a tournament of such a high category. I couldn’t think of a better birthday gift!

In the WTA live rankings, Andreeva returned to the top 40. In case of another victory, she will rush to 34th place. The title will make her number 21 in the world. The motivation is more than excellent, especially for an ambitious girl who knows how to play tennis.

Mirra Andreeva / Photo: © Robert Prange / Contributor / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

Mirra will play against Danielle Collins or Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinals. Both rivals are not a gift: the American is in 15th place in the WTA, and the Belarusian is the second racket in the world. But Noskova, Vondrousova, and Paolini are also higher in the ranking than Andreeva. This fact did not help them cope with the persistent Siberian, who clearly fell in love with the Madrid clay courts.

Now there are all the prerequisites for Mirra to beat Collins, and Sabalenka, and Elena Rybakina, and Iga Szwiatek, and everyone else who gets in her way. A possible title for the young Russian would not be a surprise. But the girl will clearly have additional strength for new achievements.