Mirra Andreeva was unaware she had reached the quarterfinal of the 2024 Cincinnati Open. The Russian believed there was a fourth-round before she could advance to the last eights. Her misunderstandings were hilariously cleared during an interview.
Andreeva has been in fine form at the WTA 1000 event as she has gotten the better of two Top 15 players in her first three matches. The 17-year-old defeated World No. 13 Emma Navarro 6-2, 6-2 in the first round before ousting Karolina Pliskova in the second round with a 6-2, 6-3 win.
On Friday, August 16, Andreeva was up against World No. 5 Jasmine Paolini. The Italian was off the blocks quickly and won the first set 6-3. However, Andreeva settled in well and comfortably won the next two sets 6-3, 6-2 to become the youngest player to advance into the quarterfinal of the Cincinnati Open.
In a post-match interview, Prakash Amritraj of the Tennis Channel informed Mirra Andreeva about the 17-year-old high school students who had come to watch her. Amritraj told the Russian that she could have been playing high school tennis with them but instead, she will be playing the quarterfinals at the Cincinnati Open.
This caught Andreeva off guard and she responded:
“Quarterfinals already?”
Amritraj confirmed that she has advanced to the quarterfinals.
“Ah, wow I thought it was going to be fourth round. That’s cool,” Andreeva added.
In the quarterfinal, she will take on World No. 1 Iga Swiatek on Center Court at the Lindner Family Tennis Center on Saturday, August 17.
“I feel like I’m ready” – Mirra Andreeva exudes confidence before Cincinnati Open 2024 QF against Iga Swiatek
During the same interview with Prakash Amritraj of Tennis Channel, Mirra Andreeva was asked:
“Are you ready for the No. 1 player in the world?”
17-year-old Andreeva was composed and confident ahead of her 2024 Cincinnati Open quarterfinal clash against World No. 1 Iga Swiatek.
“Yes, I feel like I’m ready. I mean, of course, she’s No. 1 in the world but she’s also a human being. So, I don’t think that that there’s something exceptional. Of course, she’s playing great, she feels a lot of confidence and she’s very confident on the court and I feel like so am I. I’m pretty confident as well,” Mirra Andreeva said.
She also mentioned that she will try her best to advance into the semifinals but a loss will not break her will.
“I’m just going to go on court do my best and if it doesn’t go my way this time it’ll go my way next time but I will try my hardest that this time it is my way tomorrow,” she added.
This will be the first encounter between Swiatek and Andreeva on tour and the winner will set a semifinal clash against the winner of the quarterfinal between Aryna Sabalenka and Liudmila Samsonova.
