Tennis
New star from Russia failed in the USA. Mirra, how so?
The American proved stronger than Andreeva in front of her home fans.
Russia had a strong presence at the US Women’s Open. Eleven of our players got spots in the main draw, and nine of them made it to the second round.
The fans had special hopes for our young stars, the 2024 Olympic silver medalists Mirra Andreeva and Diana Schneider. However, of the two, only Schneider overcame the second round barrier.
Andreeva’s disastrous performance
It seemed that Russia’s most promising tennis player, 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva, would have no problems with her opponent from the USA, Ashlyn Krueger. The 20-year-old American, ranked 59th, was a huge underdog for bookmakers. The odds for her victory were estimated to be higher than four. This is not surprising: she is clearly inferior to Andreeva in terms of status.
But the American created a real sensation, defeating Mirra in two sets. Perhaps it was the home court that helped. The local crowd cheered their athlete very lively and loudly.
The first set was a rout. The 1:6 loss is hard to explain by anything other than psychology. Kruger made a break in the third game, took the lead and had full control. Mirra was tense and rather passive, and the brave American managed to hit most of her shots in the second set. There was also some luck involved: several balls slightly missed the line.
Towards the end of the match, when the American had one game left to win, Mirra loosened up and reduced the gap to a minimum. But it was too late, Krueger did not miss her chance – 6:4 in the final set and 2:0 in the match.
Schneider did not disappoint
A couple of hours before Andreeva, Diana Schneider played her match. She faced the Danish Clara Tausson, the 67th racket in the world. The match was dictated by the Russian.
Schneider’s opponent (as in the case of Andreeva) was considered an outsider. Diana, to the delight of Russian fans, confidently dealt with her opponent, winning in both sets (6:4; 6:4). Thus, Schneider continued her series of confident victories at the US Open. In the first round, Nadia Podoroska from Argentina was beaten (6:0; 6:1).
In the third round, Diana will play against Italian Sara Errani. The match will take place on August 30.
Source: Sportbox
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