Tennis star says she 'hates' practice partner after beating her at French Open
Tennis star Mirra Andreeva has playfull stated that she 'hates' practice partner Daria Kasatkina after beating her at the French Open on Monday.
Russian tennis ace Andreeva needed just two sets to get the job done and march through to the quarter-finals for a second consecutive year.
Andreeva made it all the way to the semis in last year's tournament, and she will take some beating this year after dismantling all four of her opponents in straight sets. Kasatkina was the latest player to feel the 18-year-old's wrath on court, and she put up a tougher fight than those before her but still got sent packing with a 6-3 7-5 defeat.
Russian star Andreeva was full of praise for Kasatkina - in her own unique way - as she admitted that the 'torture' she puts her through in training has made it a love-hate relationship.
"Honestly, I'm so happy I won because I hate playing against her," said Andreeva. "We practice a lot, and even the practice is torture for me. It was a hell of a match. She raised her level and I just knew if I could continue to believe in myself, I would win.
"My coach says you have got to practice with people you don't like. That's why I practice with her a lot — because I hate her! I'm joking, of course. She's a great person, a great player, so I knew this match was going to be tough and I'm just happy to be back in the quarter-finals."
A look at Kasatkina's pre-match comments proves that the love-hate aspect of their relationship goes both ways. The Russian-born competitor, who has just started representing Australia, said: "I hate her... just kidding.
"This is the way we communicate. We're just giving a little s*** to each other all the time and just joking around. We are very good with each other.
"We were having an ice bath together a couple of hours ago after [our third-round matches]. I can even say that I think we are kind of friends. She's super young and super talented, so she will achieve a lot of things."
In the quarter-finals Andreeva will be up against home contender Lois Boisson, who pulled off a major upset by beating third seed Jessica Pegula in the fourth round. Coco Gauff also made it through on Monday with a routine win over Ekaterina Alexandrova, which included a bagel in the first set.
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