Amid all the exciting developments in Mirra Andreeva’s rapid rise as a professional player, there’s one harsh reality: as with all 16-year-olds, schoolwork remains a priority too.
Andreeva, who is gaining an online education, claims to be a reluctant student, with a particular aversion to chemistry. Tennis lessons, by contrast, are something she is clearly absorbing well.
In only her sixth match on a grass court, Andreeva defeated the No.22 seed, Anastasia Potapova, 6-2, 7-5 to progress to Wimbledon’s fourth round. Ranked almost 80 places lower than Potapova, it marked the biggest win of Andreeva’s career.
“I'm really happy that I managed to win this match. It was an amazing battle,” said Andreeva, who saved two set points in the final stages, before completing her victory in an hour and 35 minutes.
Perhaps most remarkable is the speed of Andreeva’s rise. This is only her second main draw campaign and, just as at Roland-Garros last month, she earned it through Qualifying.
The grass courts of Roehampton proved the perfect education for Andreeva to adjust to an unfamiliar surface. The teenager subsequently claimed a straight-sets win over Xiyu Wang in the first round and led Barbora Krejcikova by a set and 4-0 when the experienced Czech retired in the second round.
On No.3 Court on Sunday, Andreeva was assertive from the outset, winning the first two points and gaining a break over Potapova. While she couldn’t consolidate, the teenager persisted through an extended third game to gain a confidence-sapping service break. She surrendered only two more points on her serve as she closed out the set in 30 minutes.
Potapova, still just 22, has her own success story at Wimbledon, as the girls’ champion in 2016, and she increasingly challenged Andreeva in the second set.
After an exchange of service breaks, Potapova was at last able to edge ahead for a 4-1 lead. But moving swiftly and easily, Andreeva was also executing her classic ground strokes fearlessly. It was a damaging combination as she recovered the service break and further pressured Potapova's serve.
The ninth game, extending to six deuces, might have been a turning point, as the older player saved seven break points. Andreeva subsequently had a pair of her own to manage, providing Potapova with two set points.
However, an inability to convert them seemed to sap the last of Potapova’s determination, a double fault and three unforced errors enabling Andreeva to claim her sixth and most decisive service break.
In serving out the victory, Andreeva set up a fourth round match with Madison Keys, in which she will no doubt draw on the composure that has become such a feature of her success.
“I've been working on that really hard with my coaches, with my parents,” she said of her ability to remain calm under pressure. “Now I know how it's easier or better for me to control my emotions on the court, to always stay calm.”
Not that Andreeva isn’t experiencing some heady emotions this Wimbledon, the teenager cherishing every moment of her place among the game’s elite.
“The atmosphere, it's just amazing here. You see all the pro players: you see [Novak] Djokovic, you see [Andy] Murray,” she beamed. “The atmosphere is great and I hope that next year, I will be (in a) different locker room that is (a) level above.”
From outside the top 800 this time last year, to the top 100 debut she’ll make after The Championships, it seems an eminently achievable target for Andreeva.
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