Before the Games began, it was hard to imagine that two young tennis players Mirra Andreeva and Diana Schneider would become the country’s main hope for gold medals. But our heroines of Paris lacked just a little bit in a tough battle with the favorites to rise to the top step of the podium.

“We will go to the end”

But Diana and Mirra dealt with many titled opponents on the way to the final, even “covering up” the champions of the Tokyo Olympic Games. At the same time, the girls understood perfectly well that a huge audience of spectators was rooting for them in Russia. For the sake of the fans, the duo was ready to leave all their strength on the court.

“We will do everything possible to bring home the gold medal. We will go to the end,” the Match TV correspondent reports Andreeva as saying.

In the main match of the tournament, our athletes faced Italian tennis players Errani and Paolini. Sara has won all the Grand Slam tournaments in doubles. Jasmine Paolini has recently gained fantastic form, reaching the final at Roland Garros this year. The Italians were seeded third in the tournament.

Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini / Photo: © Matthew Stockman / Staff / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

The gold has slipped out of my hands

The start of the match was lively for the Russians. They easily took a point on Schneider’s serve. The Italians also easily restored the balance. In the fourth game, our girls showed character, making a break from the score of 15:40. The Russian representatives could have made a break in the sixth game, but were unable to realize two chances.

At 5:2, the aging Errani needed a medical timeout. It is not known whether the experienced Italian really had health problems, but she definitely slowed down her tempo. The Russians did not lose their heads and asked the referee to warm up with the ball on the court. Paolini was “sunbathing” on the bench at that moment. But this did not help the Italians. In the next game, they lost the set on Sara’s serve – 2:6.

The second set started poorly for the Russians. They allowed their opponents to make a break, leading 40:0. In the next game, the Italians consolidated their advantage thanks to Errani’s brilliant play at the net. Diana’s play also declined. A fierce battle unfolded for the next point. And then our girls showed incredible character, coming back from 0:40. However, all their efforts were in vain. The end of the set went to the Italians, who won with a score of 6:1.

Mirra Andreeva and Diana Schneider / Photo: © Matthew Stockman / Staff / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

Before the championship tie-break, the Russians became a little scared. Both Mirra and Diana looked tired. The fears were strengthened after a bad start to the decisive period, when the Russians gave up two rallies in a row to their opponents. Until the end of the match, our athletes never took the lead, although they heroically threw themselves even for dead balls. In the end, the victory in the tie-break went to Paolini and Errani – 10:7.

Our tennis players understood perfectly well that they could beat their opponents, but they simply lacked freshness. Too much energy and emotion had been spent in the previous stages. But we should still be happy for the girls. At 20, and especially at 17, tennis prize winners can be counted on the fingers of one hand.