French Open: Mirra Andreeva, a teenage star, thinks Andy Murray is her good luck charm after winning her first senior Grand Slam match at the French Open.
The 16-year-old Russian, who only turned 16 last month, has been advancing quickly in the women’s game and defeated seasoned American Alison Riske-Amritraj 6-2 6-1 on Tuesday at Roland Garros.
That came after Andreeva had a breakthrough week at the Madrid Open when she advanced to the fourth round and made clear how much she admired Murray.
She told Tennis Channel, “When you’re here and have lunch with all these stars, you see Andy Murray, and you see his face, and he’s so gorgeous in life, he is so great.”
“Imagine how terrific she’ll be when she has her eyes corrected,” Murray mockingly said.
But as Andreeva remarked on Tuesday, the two have stayed in touch: “I didn’t see Andy Murray since Madrid since he is not here, but I called him after he won a Challenger.
“I congratulated them. I was thrilled that he had really responded. He thanked him and wished him luck at Roland Garros. Maybe as a result, I’m playing so well right now.”
Andreeva finished second in the girls’ singles competition at the Australian Open, but she has had little trouble transitioning to life on the women’s circuit. Now, after triumphing in three qualifying matches and one main draw match in Paris, she is inching closer to a ranking in the top 100.
The adolescent said, “Of course, it feels great for me. I’m overjoyed that I was able to win this match after failing the qualis draw. It should be obvious that I’m thrilled and excited to play the next round.”
Coco Gauff, who lost in the final the previous year, appeared to be in trouble when she trailed Rebeka Masarova of Spain by a set, but she came back strong to win 3-6 6-1 6-2.
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