"I don't even have a plan" - Mirra Andreeva jokes about her surprise tennis intellect after stunning Aryna Sabalenka to reach French Open SF
Mirra Andreeva hilariously said that she had no recollection of the plan she had made with her coach to defeat Aryna Sabalenka in the French Open quarterfinals. Despite her memory lapse, the 17-year-old showed nerves of steel to come back from a set down and oust the ailing World No. 2 from Roland Garros.
In doing so, Andreeva became the youngest woman to reach the semifinals of the French Open since Martina Hingis in 1997.
Sabalenka's distress became apparent in the first set, as she appeared to be struggling with a stomach issue. Even though she went on to clinch the set 7-6(5), she needed multiple medical timeouts. An opportunistic Andreeva made the most of the Belarusian's condition, ruthlessly capitalizing on Sabalenka's errors to even things up by winning the second set 6-4.
Andreeva completed her stunning comeback by registering the same score in the third set, setting up a semifinal showdown against Jasmine Paolini. The Italian had earlier orchestrated World No. 4 Elena Rybakina's exit.
During Andreeva's post-match, on-court interview, Mats Wilander praised the 17-year-old's tactical knowledge and asked the youngster how she came up with the tactics that she used to devastating effect against Sabalenka. The Russian dismissed the former ATP World No. 1's suggestions, joking that most of the time, she plays tennis without a plan.
"I don't know. I kind of see the game. I just play wherever I want. I don't even have a plan. So when I see an open space on the court I try to play there. If I think that maybe she will run there I try to play it behind her back or something like this," Andreeva said.
The 17-year-old also said that she and her coach, the legendary Conchita Martinez, had come up with a plan to deal with Sabalenka's threat. However, she made the hilarious confession that she "didn't remember anything" over the course of the match.
"Yeah, me and my coach, we had a plan today, but again, I didn't remember anything during the match," Andreeva added.
Mirra Andreeva would be confident of facing Jasmine Paolini after the pair's 2024 Madrid Open clash
At the 2024 Madrid Open, Andreeva met Paolini in the Round of 16. The Russian, despite her inexperience against the 28-year-old Italian, won the match 7-6(2), 6-4. So far, it has been the pair's only meeting on the WTA Tour.
On that occasion, Andreeva's Madrid Open run came to an end in the very next round, as she was outclassed 1-6, 4-6 by Sabalenka. The Belarusian made it all the way to the final and played out a thriller before eventually losing to World No. 1 Iga Swiatek. Interestingly, after losing to Sabalenka in Madrid, Andreeva had hinted at exacting revenge on the Belarusian.
If Andreeva does manage to get the better of Paolini again at Roland Garros, she will face either Swiatek or World No. 3 Coco Gauff in the 2024 French Open women's singles final.