Mirra Andreeva continued her fine form on Wednesday, defeating Dalma Galfi at the Madrid Open.
Andreeva has emerged as a serious contender for the Madrid Open title after sweeping through her opening two rounds at the Caja Magica.
The Russian began her campaign on Thursday, defeating Panna Udvardy 7-5, 6-2 in her opening match.
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Andreeva followed up this result by defeating Dalma Galfi 6-3, 6-2 on Saturday.
The 18-year-old, who will play Anna Bondar next, has already made her mark in the Spanish capital.
Mirra Andreeva has made 14 round of 16 appearances at WTA 1000 events
Mirra Andreeva has reached a 14th career round of 16 at WTA-1000 events following her victory over Dalma Galfi in Madrid.
As per statisticians OptaAce, only Coco Gauff has reached more among teenagers since the format’s introduction in 2009.
Gauff, the world number three, reached her 17th round of 16 at the WTA 1000 level when she defeated Sorana Cirstea 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 on Sunday.
As mentioned already, Andreeva will continue her Madrid Open campaign against Anna Bondar on Monday.
Bondar won her only previous match against Andreeva, defeating the Russian 7-6, 6-3 at the 2023 Lausanne Ladies Open.
If Andreeva advances to the quarter-finals, she will play Leylah Fernandez or Ann Li.
From there, Andreeva could play Aryna Sabalenka in the Madrid Open semi-finals and Coco Gauff in the final.
Mirra Andreeva’s projected path to the Madrid Open title
- Round one: BYE
- Round two: defeated Panna Udvardy 7-5, 6-2
- Round three: defeated Dalma Galfi 6-3, 6-2
- Round four: Anna Bondar
- Quarter-finals: Leylah Fernandez or Ann Li
- Semi-finals: Aryna Sabalenka
- Final: Coco Gauff / Elena Rybakina
Where Mirra Andreeva can improve
Andreeva’s performance against Galfi was a convincing one: she certainly played at a high level throughout the contest.
However, she will need to improve her first-serve numbers if she wants to reach the latter stages in Madrid.
Against Galfi, Andreeva made 58.2 per cent of her first serves, winning 65.6 per cent of those points.
These are far from poor numbers. However, against powerful players like Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina, Andreeva will need to make a higher percentage of first serves.
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If Andreeva finds herself playing Sabalenka or Rybakina later this week and she continues to make less than 60 per cent of her serves, she could find herself exiting the event in double-quick time.
This is because Sabalenka and Rybakina are the two best players on the WTA Tour and individuals who will be able to dictate proceedings with ease if they are continuously offered opportunities off the second serve.
