Mirra Andreeva continued her strong form at the Madrid Open, moving into the fourth round after another straight-sets win over Dalma Galfi.
After starting her campaign with a victory over Panna Udvardy, Andreeva saw off Galfi 6-3, 6-2 to set up a match against Anna Bondar in the next round.
The Russian is looking to claim her first WTA 1000 title on clay, a surface where she has excelled in recent years. Her career win percentage on clay sits at 76%, compared to 67% on hard courts and 57% on grass.
Andreeva is bidding to win her first WTA 1000 tournament on clay, a surface that has statistically been her best, with a win percentage of 76%, compared to 67% on hard and 57% on grass.
The young Russian has made steady improvements each year. Her climb through the rankings began when she moved from ITF events into the main draw of WTA tournaments before turning 17.
During her post-match interview following her win over Galfi, Andreeva shared: “Honestly, clay is such a special surface.
“You know, you really have to adjust your game and yeah, I’m gonna say now it’s one of my favorites.
“But what I don’t like about clay is obviously getting dirty, and you know just being in the shower for 15 minutes at least to just get that dust out of you.
“Yeah, what can I say, I mean I’m playing not bad on clay, so I’m not gonna complain too much about it.
“It’s like a love-hate relationship. I love playing on clay, but after the match, I’m not sure I like it so much.”
After her win, Andreeva spoke about how she handled the challenges of the match: “It was a very tricky match. Dalma is a very tricky opponent to play against.
“In the first set, I found myself on the back foot a little bit. She started well, hitting a lot of winners, being very solid and consistent.
“So I just told myself that, you know, if she wants to beat me today, that’s the level that she has to play the whole match.
“And I just told myself that it’s okay, even if now I don’t feel like I am playing my best, slowly I’ll get there, and you know I’ll figure it out.
“I was just trying to focus on every point that I was playing today, and yeah, I’m just super happy that I won in straight sets today.”
According to Opta Ace, only Coco Gauff (16) has reached more fourth rounds at WTA 1000 events than Andreeva (14) as a teenager.
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