Martina Hingis acknowledges Mirra Andreeva following her as youngest Grand Slam semifinalist in 27 years with Aryna Sabalenka scalp at French Open
Martina Hingis has acknowledged Mirra Andreeva's achievement after the latter stunned World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka on Wednesday, June 5, in the 2024 French Open quarterfinals. The 17-year-old's victory made her the youngest Grand Slam semifinalist 27 years after Hingis' title-winning run at the 1997 US Open. Hingis had also finished as the winner of both the Australian Open and the Wimbledon Championships, as well as the runner-up at the French Open that year.
Andreeva came into the match against Sabalenka as the outright underdog. The pair had previously clashed on two occasions on the WTA tour, with the Belarusian winning them both. Their most recent meeting prior to the French Open came in the Madrid Open quarterfinals. It was a forgettable day for the youngster as eventual finalist Sabalenka trounced her 6-1, 6-4.
However, the entire dynamic of their French Open clash underwent a seismic shift when Sabalenka complained of a stomach problem and proceeded to take a medical timeout. The Belarusian narrowly managed to take the first set 7-6(5), but it became evident that she was seriously struggling.
With Sabalenka's condition worsening and multiple medical timeouts going in vain, unseeded Andreeva seized the moment and clinched both the second and third sets 6-4 each; progressing, against all odds, to the semifinals.
At the 1997 US Open, a 16-year-old Hingis breezed past No. 10 seed Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in the quarterfinals and No. 6 seed Lindsay Davenport in the semis to set up a final showdown with Venus Williams.
Williams was no match for Hingis, as the Swiss teen ran away with the US Open title with a 6-0, 6-4 demolition job. Hingis recently took note of Andreeva's win over Sabalenka and the fact that the Russian had become the youngest Grand Slam semifinalist since her own title-winning run at the 1997 US Open.
She posted an Instagram story featuring an infographic that was originally shared by the official US Open Instagram page.
"I felt so bad for Martina Hingis" - Mirra Andreeva on the Swiss' 1999 French Open final ordeal
After Andreeva's Australian Open third-round win over Diane Parry earlier this year, the youngster told the media during a press conference that she has watched Hingis play Steffi Graf in the 1999 French Open final.
The crowd in attendance that day was totally and completely in the German's favor, and Andreeva said that she "felt bad" seeing Hingis having to compete against Graf in such a hostile environment. The German went on to win the title with a 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 victory over the Swiss.
"The (1999) final of Roland Garros against Steffi Graf, I watched this match. I don't know, I felt so bad for her (Hingis). Of course, Steffi Graf was also an amazing player. She played really good. I don't know, I felt really sad watching her kind of, I don't know, all this crowd was on her. I watched this match several times. Every time I feel the same way, that she didn't really deserve it," Andreeva said.
For Andreeva to get to the final of this year's edition of the claycourt Major, she will have to get past an in-form Jasmine Paolini, who ousted World No. 4 Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals. If Andreeva does make it to the final, she will have to contest for the title against either Iga Swiatek or Coco Gauff.