Mirra Andreeva crushes Jessica Bouzas Maneiro to book China Open fourth-round spot

Russia’s Mirra Andreeva has produced a brilliant display of tennis to secure a spot in the fourth round of the China Open. The 18-year-old secured a stunning win in straight sets against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro with a score of 6-4, 6-1.

Andreeva was clinical from the word go and converted four break points, three more than her opponent. She won 69.2 percent points on first serve as well. In comparison, Maneiro won 54.8 percent points on first serve. Overall, Andreeva won 61.1 percent of the service points. Maneiro on the other hand, won just 49.3 percent points while serving. Andreeva won 78 points in total, 17 more than Maneiro.

The win would give a lot of confidence to Andreeva, who secured a thumping win against Zhu Lin of China in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 6-2. In that game as well, Andreeva was clinical on her first serve, winning 77 per cent points on first serve, considerably higher than her opponent, who won 51 per cent points on her first serve.

Before appearing in the competition, Andreeva was featured in a report by Spanish media outlet Punto de Break, where she explained her objectives going forward. After failing to cement a spot in the semifinal of any event in 10 attempts ever she lifted her second title earlier this year, Andreeva stated that she is focused on enjoying the game more than winning titles.

"I'm trying to focus on enjoying the game more,” said Andreeva. “After winning those titles, I began to feel more pressure and higher expectations. I'm working on being positive, having a good mentality, simply trying to enjoy the game, and doing what I want on the court without overthinking it. After winning those two titles, I felt like people expected me to win every tournament I entered, something we all knew would be impossible. However, I think it was an experience I had to go through. You have to overcome this, take the positives, try to improve, and learn from mistakes. Every day I try to learn and I grow older, maybe a little wiser, maybe a little smarter.”

Big win

Andreeva’s most recent appearance before arriving in Beijing was at the US Open, where she suffered a shocking defeat to America’s Taylor Townsend in the third round in straight sets with a score of 7-5, 6-2. During that match, Andreeva was struggling with an ankle injury. Talking about that, Andreeva stated that she is feeling much better. Andreeva also expressed optimism that she will not face further ankle problems in the recent part of the season."I feel good, my ankle is fine,” said Andreeva. “We did a good job of recovery and strengthening, and I hope it doesn't bother me for the rest of the season. I hope it doesn't bother me at all for the rest of my life, but for now, I feel fine."

Andreeva, during the same interview, shared that she is eager to play in the WTA Finals, which for the second time running, will be organised in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Andreeva also stated that playing in the competition will ‘mean a lot to get’ largely because of her young age. "It would mean a lot to me, because I'm only 18 years old, quite young, and qualifying for the WTA Finals and playing against seven other top players would be amazing, it would be a great challenge for me. I'm going to try my best to get there,” she said. Andreeva’s next opponent will be Britain’s Sonay Kartal. The 23-year-old defeated Australia’s Maya Joint in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 6-2. It will be the first-ever meeting between the two players in professional tennis.