Teenager Andreeva sets up Wimbledon quarter-final clash with Bencic
The 18-year-old looked at home on Centre Court, using her booming serve, regularly above 110 miles per hour, and power from the baseline to book a meeting with Swiss Belinda Bencic in the next round.
In doing so she matches the feat of compatriot Maria Sharapova in 2005 at the exact same age - 18 years and 62 days at the start of the tournament.
With a light breeze swirling around the showcourt, Andreeva took an early break in the match thanks to a fine backhand past her 24-year-old opponent who was looking to reach a second successive quarter-final at the All England Club.
Navarro struggled to return the Russian's serve, with Andreeva not giving up any points on her first serve throughout the first set. The American surrendered another break by hitting into the net from a fierce Andreeva forehand for 4-1.
Navarro saved two set points but Andreeva converted the third courtesy of another unreturnable serve, taking the lead in the match after little more than half an hour of play.
The second set brought an upturn in form for Navarro as the pair traded breaks and continued to slug it out from the baseline. However, Andreeva held on to a break advantage over her opponent and executed a beautifully weighted lob on her way to bringing up three match points.
The teenager needed only one thanks to a fortunate net cord but had obviously lost track of the score as she lined up at the baseline again before apologising and running to the net to shake hands with her beaten opponent.
"Honestly, I kept telling myself I was facing break point and was trying to tell myself I'm not the one who is up on the score, I'm the one who is down and in the end I completely forgot the score. I happy I did it, otherwise I would have been three times more nervous on my match point," she said on court.
"I felt like my serve was not bad today... happy that (coach) Conchita (Martinez) gives me nice advice and my serve keeps working," added Andreeva.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
16 minutes ago
- CNA
We have the weapons to beat England, says Italy's Soncin
GENEVA :Italy scraped through the group stage and needed a last-minute goal to beat Norway in the last eight, but coach Andrea Soncin believes his side have what it takes to beat reigning champions England in their Women's Euro 2025 semi-final on Tuesday. Soncin and his squad have spoken of their big dreams at this tournament and how overcoming adversity has brought them closer together, and they are confident they can beat Sarina Wiegman's side and secure a first appearance in the final since 1997. "We have done very well in this event. There is a lot of courage, awareness and serenity. That is what has accompanied us throughout the whole event," Soncin told reporters on Monday. "We are convinced that we have the weapons to win the game, and we have the utmost respect for the quality of the English players and their international experience." England survived a heart-stopping penalty shootout that saw only five of 14 spot-kicks scored as they beat Sweden 3-2 in their quarter-final, and Soncin said that it was virtually impossible to replicate the pressure of a shootout in training. "I don't believe that there is a specific way to train the penalties in a training session because there is the emotional aspect and also the physical aspect that come into play, but especially the emotional aspect which is not the same during a training session," he explained. "Of course we, like everybody, we try to ... also train penalties so that we're ready for everything, our objective is to reach the final." Soncin and Italy defender Cecilia Salvai, who also attended the media conference, offered their support to England's Jess Carter, who has withdrawn from social media due to the racial abuse she has received during the tournament. "It is a cultural campaign (against racism), a cultural battle we have to fight all together. I don't know whether taking the knee is enough to change this, but for sure there is maximum solidarity from our side, we are ready to take part in any campaign to avoid this abuse," Soncin said. "I hope she can play this game 100 per cent because this is a semi-final, so I hope she can try to detach a bit from this episode. Of course, she's not the first one who's been victim of this abuse and we have the greatest solidarity for her," Salvai added.
CNA
33 minutes ago
- CNA
Polo-Cambiaso reigns again as daughter Mia makes Gold Cup history
EASEBOURNE, England :Argentine polo maestro Adolfo Cambiaso added a ninth British Open Gold Cup to his trophy cabinet at the weekend, but this victory carried extra sparkle – his 23-year-old daughter Mia was playing with him and became the first Argentine woman to claim the prestigious prize. The 50-year-old, widely regarded as the greatest polo player of all time, led his La Dolfina/Scone team to a nail-biting 9-8 victory over French newcomers Kazak at Cowdray Park in front of more than 8,000 spectators basking in West Sussex sunshine. The win came 34 years after Cambiaso first lifted the Gold Cup in 1991, and his latest triumph made him the only player to win the tournament alongside two different children having done so with son Poroto in 2020. Mia Cambiaso became only the third woman to win the Gold Cup and was crowned Most Valuable Player, and her mare DS Altamira claimed Best Playing Pony honours. The match was as dramatic as it was historic, with the elder Cambiaso suffering three broken fingers in a collision that forced him off the field for the final two minutes, his team clinging to a precarious 9-7 lead. The injury-causing incident was ruled a foul against Cambiaso, allowing Kazak to convert a penalty and close the gap to one goal. "It's very special. My ninth Gold Cup and to do it with my daughter, Mia is incredible. I am so proud of her; the first Argentinian woman to lift a Gold Cup," said Cambiaso. "It was a fantastic polo match and I want to thank my whole team for all their hard work." The Gold Cup is one of polo's most prestigious events alongside the U.S. and Argentine Opens and the Queen's Cup. The 16,000-acre Cowdray Estate is situated in the South Downs National Park. Known as the home of British polo, it hosts more than 600 matches annually from April to September.
CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
Scheffler draws comparisons to Woods after dominant British Open win
Scottie Scheffler had already cemented his place among golf's all-time greats, but his commanding four-shot victory at the British Open reignited comparisons to Tiger Woods. Sunday's final round of the British Open at Royal Portrush was one of the more anticlimactic finishes to a major in recent memory and left many in the world of golf wondering if Scheffler was the heir to Woods' throne. "I look everywhere and I try to find some kind of a weakness, somewhere where he can get derailed, and I just can't find it," NBC Sports analyst and former Ryder Cup-winning captain Paul McGinley said. "He might even prove to have more longevity than Tiger Woods." Making comparisons to 15-times major champion Woods may be premature but world number one Scheffler, a four-time major winner, is playing in a league of his own and showing no signs of slowing down. "I don't think we thought the golfing world would see someone as dominant as Tiger come through so soon, and here's Scottie sort of taking that throne of dominance," said 2024 British Open champion Xander Schauffele. "You can't even say he's on a run. He's just been killing it for over two years now. He's a tough man to beat, and when you see his name up on the leaderboard, it sucks for us." Scheffler won the Masters in 2022 and 2024, earned his first PGA Championship title this year followed by his fourth career major with his British Open triumph. The 29-year-old Texan joined Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player as the only players to win a Masters, PGA Championship and British Open before age 30. "What he's doing is so dominant and so clinical," said NBC Sports analyst Brandel Chamblee. "I can't help but think that we are on an inevitable march towards one of the greatest careers in the history of golf." Scheffler's 149-week run as the number one ranked golfer in the world is also the longest since Woods occupied the top spot for a record 281 weeks from 2005 to 2010. "In a historical context, you could argue that there's only maybe two or three players in the history of the game that have been on a run, the one that Scottie's been on here for the last 24 to 36 months. Incredibly impressive," said world number two Rory McIlroy. Scheffler, who will undoubtedly be favoured wherever he tees it up for the foreseeable future, will get a chance to become only the seventh player to complete the career Grand Slam of golf's four majors at next June's U.S. Open. But despite an ability to make a complicated game seem simple at times and leave fellow competitors in awe, Scheffler is not ready to entertain talk about comparisons to Woods. "Tiger won, what, 15 majors? This is my fourth," Scheffler said after winning the Claret Jug. "I just got one-fourth of the way there. I think Tiger stands alone in the game of golf. "He was inspirational for me growing up. He was a very, very talented guy, and he was a special person to be able to be as good as he was at the game of golf."
