'That's why we practice a lot, because I hate her': Mirra Andreeva’s hilarious take after beating Daria Kasatkina

Mirra Andreeva and Daria Kasatkina exchanged jokes after the teenager's victory in the French Open fourth round. Both players have shown themselves to be close friends since Andreeva's breakthrough on Tour, something clearly evident in "Dasha's" regular YouTube vlogs.

It was a highly anticipated match between two close friends. Andreeva defeated Kasatkina 6-3, 7-5 to advance to the Roland Garros quarterfinals, marking her second appearance in the top 8 of a Grand Slam – the previous being the Roland Garros 2024 semifinals. This time, she had to overcome her friend and joked about defeating her usual training partner. "I'm so, so happy that I won because I hate playing against her. We practice a lot and even the practice is a torture for me," Andreeva said.

For nearly two years, Kasatkina has been uploading videos to her YouTube channel 'What the Vlog,' showing behind-the-scenes glimpses of the WTA Tour, with relaxed interviews featuring her colleagues. The teenager Andreeva has stolen the spotlight on the vlog, showcasing her spontaneous personality in almost every episode, where they are often seen joking in locker rooms or during training sessions.

They had only faced each other once before, in the Ningbo Open final last October, where Kasatkina won and ultimately claimed the title. On that occasion, they also joked together after the match, demonstrating their great relationship off the court. This time, Andreeva humorously commented on her training sessions with Kasatkina: "You got to practice with people that you don't like. That's why we practice a lot. Because I hate her."

"No, I'm joking, of course. She's a great person and a great player. So I knew that this match, of course, is going to be tough. And you know, again, I'm just happy to be back in the quarterfinals," she added.

On the other hand, Kasatkina also spoke in her press conference about her close relationship with Andreeva and assured that she prefers losing to a friend. "Losing to a friend doesn't hurt as much. As I said, on court I don't feel any additional pressure when I play against a friend," she stated. "I'm used to playing against my friends, so for me it's not a problem even if I lose. There are games we win and lose against friends. This is completely normal. I am happier losing to a friend than to an enemy because the emotions are more negative."

Kasatkina concludes her tournament participation adding 170 points, which helps her advance to world No. 16. Meanwhile, Andreeva – world No. 6 – will look to overcome surprise qualifier Lois Boisson in the quarterfinals, with the possibility of reaching the Roland Garros semifinals for the second consecutive year and achieving her best ranking by entering the top 5.