Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva began her Grand Slam career with a straight-sets win over USA’s Alison Riske-Amritraj at French Open in Paris on Tuesday.
Sixteen-year-old Andreeva is the youngest player in this year’s women’s singles draw. The Russian, world number 143, had to go through qualifying round to make it to the main draw.
She defeated world number 85 Riske-Amritraj 6-2, 6-1 in just 56 minutes on Court 10 at Roland Garros.
“I don’t know. I just play,” Mirra Andreeva said after her victory. “I just don’t think about it. I just try to enjoy every moment here. I’m just practising and live my life, and that’s it. I just do my things.”
“Of course, it feels amazing for me,” she said. I’m really excited that I managed to win this match after passing the qualifiers draw. So, of course, I’m really happy, and I’m looking forward to playing the next round.”
According to OptaAce, since 2000, Andreeva has become only the second player under the age of 17 to concede three games or less in a win at Roland-Garros, after Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova conceded two to Maria Emilia Salerni in 2008.
Andreeva next faces French wildcard Diane Parry, who defeated Italian Open runner-up Anhelina Kalinina 6-2, 6-3.
Her elder sister, 18-year-old Erika, also got into the main draw, albeit as a lucky loser, and faces American wildcard Emma Navarro in the first round.
Krasnoyarsk-born Andreeva made her Tour-level debut at the WTA250 event in Monastir, Tunisia last year as a wildcard where she lost 3-6, 7-6(4), 3-6 to compatriot Anastasia Potapova in the opening round.
She got her first win on the WTA Tour at this year’s Madrid Open when she upset Canada’s Leylah Fernandez 6-3, 6-4 in the first round. In the same tournament, she also defeated Top 20 players Magda Linette and Beatriz Haddad Maia to become the youngest player to reach the fourth round of a WTA1000 event where she lost to eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka.
On the senior ITF circuit, she has won six titles.
Andreeva is World No. 1 in the ITF Junior Rankings and reached this year’s junior Australian Open final.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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