Teenager Andreeva shows her mettle at French Open
The 18-year-old said she pushed herself to fight until the end. (AFP pic)
PARIS : Mirra Andreeva underlined her claycourt credentials again at the French Open when the Russian teenager methodically took apart Ashlyn Krueger, and third seed Jessica Pegula also moved into the third round on Thursday.
Andreeva, a surprise Roland Garros semi-finalist in 2024, confirmed her calibre on the sport's slowest surface with runs to the Madrid and Rome quarter-finals this season, and she had to be at her inventive best to beat the powerful Krueger 6-3 6-4.
The 18-year-old sixth seed found herself an early break down on Court Simonne Mathieu but fought back to secure the first set, before mixing up her game with exquisite sliced forehands in the next to see off her American opponent.
'This match wasn't easy, I'd lost to her at the US Open,' Andreeva said, reflecting on her second-round defeat by Krueger in New York last August.
'She's a powerful and aggressive player. I knew I had to play well … I suffered and struggled with my serve, but I'm happy I found a way to stay calm.
'I pushed myself to fight until the end,' she said.
Pegula, Krueger's frequent doubles partner this season and French Open third seed, had to battle hard against fellow American Ann Li but found her best level when it mattered to prevail 6-3 7-6(3) in windy conditions.
Up next for the 2024 US Open runner-up is former Paris finalist Marketa Vondrousova, after the Czech sent 25th seed Magdalena Frech packing 6-0 4-6 6-3.
On the men's side, Vondrousova's compatriot Jiri Lehecka took out Spanish 26th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3 3-6 6-1 6-2 while Kazakh Alexander Bublik upset Australian ninth seed Alex De Minaur 2-6 2-6 6-4 6-3 6-2.
Three-times French Open champion Novak Djokovic continues his bid for more history and a record 25th Grand Slam trophy when he plays Frenchman Corentin Moutet later on Thursday.
Top seed Jannik Sinner resumes his hunt for a maiden title on Parisian clay when he meets another local favourite in Richard Gasquet, who will retire when his campaign at his home Grand Slam comes to an end.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
23 minutes ago
- The Sun
Murray hints at possible coaching comeback
FORMER world number one Andy Murray has left the door open to a coaching return after his short stint with Novak Djokovic ended without a trophy, but the Scot said he did not expect to be working with another player anytime soon. Djokovic appointed Murray ahead of this year's Australian Open and said at the Qatar Open in February they would continue working together for an indefinite period. However, the 24-times Grand Slam champion then endured a woeful run of form and the pair parted ways last month ahead of the French Open. 'I would do it again at some stage. I don't think that will happen immediately,' Murray told the BBC on Monday. 'I wasn't planning on going into coaching as soon as I finished playing but it was a pretty unique opportunity. 'It was a chance to learn from one of the best athletes of all time. You also learn a lot about how to work with a team. 'You're working with a physio, physical trainers, agents, and you need to know how to get your message across to the player and find out what makes them tick. 'That was the thing I learned and something I need to work on if I want to do it again in the future,' added Murray. Though they won no titles in their six-month partnership, Murray said he had good memories of his time working with former rival Djokovic. 'It was a brilliant opportunity for me. We got to spend some really nice moments away from the court,' the three-times Grand Slam champion added. 'Results weren't as we wanted but we gave it a go. We'll see about coaching in the future but I don't think that will happen for a while.' – Reuters
The Sun
27 minutes ago
- The Sun
Murray leaves door open to coaching return
FORMER world number one Andy Murray has left the door open to a coaching return after his short stint with Novak Djokovic ended without a trophy, but the Scot said he did not expect to be working with another player anytime soon. Djokovic appointed Murray ahead of this year's Australian Open and said at the Qatar Open in February they would continue working together for an indefinite period. However, the 24-times Grand Slam champion then endured a woeful run of form and the pair parted ways last month ahead of the French Open. 'I would do it again at some stage. I don't think that will happen immediately,' Murray told the BBC on Monday. 'I wasn't planning on going into coaching as soon as I finished playing but it was a pretty unique opportunity. 'It was a chance to learn from one of the best athletes of all time. You also learn a lot about how to work with a team. 'You're working with a physio, physical trainers, agents, and you need to know how to get your message across to the player and find out what makes them tick. 'That was the thing I learned and something I need to work on if I want to do it again in the future,' added Murray. Though they won no titles in their six-month partnership, Murray said he had good memories of his time working with former rival Djokovic. 'It was a brilliant opportunity for me. We got to spend some really nice moments away from the court,' the three-times Grand Slam champion added. 'Results weren't as we wanted but we gave it a go. We'll see about coaching in the future but I don't think that will happen for a while.' – Reuters
Malay Mail
2 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Inter Milan hand Chivu the helm after Inzaghi era ends in Club World Cup reset
MILAN, June 10 — Inter Milan have chosen Cristian Chivu to lead the Serie A club into a new era, confirming the former Romania defender as Simone Inzaghi's replacement ahead of the upcoming Club World Cup. Still reeling from humiliation at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final, Inter have gambled on novice Chivu after failing to get Cesc Fabregas from Como. 'Inter Milan is pleased to welcome Cristian Chivu as the new head coach of the first team. The coach has signed a contract with Inter until 30 June 2027,' Inter said in a statement. Chivu has agreed a deal with Inter worth a reported €2.5 million (RM12 million) a season, taking charge of one of Europe's biggest clubs only a few months after beginning his senior coaching career with Parma. Parma confirmed Chivu's departure earlier on Monday, setting up his arrival at Inter where he won three Serie A titles and the 2010 Champions League as a player. Chivu was part of the iconic Inter team which won the treble under Jose Mourinho 15 years ago, a feat which the San Siro club tried and spectacularly failed to repeat this season. In total Chivu played 169 times over six seasons with Inter, and he also knows Serie A well due to the four seasons he spent at rivals Roma before moving north in 2007. The 44-year-old replaced Fabio Pechia in February and guided Parma to Serie A safety in his first job in football of any form since leaving Inter's youth set-up last summer. 'I thank the club, staff, players and fans for having believed in me and our project,' said Chivu on Instagram. 'Together we overcame obstacles and wrote a page (in Parma's history) which will remain in my heart.' Chivu's first match in charge of Inter will be against Monterrey in the Club World Cup next week, in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. He will lead a group of players who looked dead on their feet during their 5-0 hammering against PSG in the Champions League final late last month. Inzaghi left Inter in the wake of the Italians' thumping in Munich, taking the job at Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal who are also participating the Club World had made light of serious financial problems in turning Inter into one of Europe's best teams in his four seasons at the Milan giants, but his final campaign ended in a bitter fashion and with no trophies. Inter had looked a decent bet for the Serie A, Champions League and Italian Cup treble when they booked a place in the semi-finals of Europe's top club competition by knocking out Bayern Munich. At that point Inter were three points clear at the top of Serie A, but they ended up conceding the Scudetto to Napoli on the final day of the season and were knocked out of the Italian Cup by AC Milan. That left the Champions League as Inter's only hope of a trophy but they lost in embarrassing fashion their second final in three years under Inzaghi. — AFP
