Mirra Andreeva’s attempt to replicate Emma Raducanu’s run from qualifying to Grand Slam glory ended after she was knocked out by American star Madison Keys to reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals.
The 16-year-old, who had never played a grass court tournament before Wimbledon, was thriving at the All England Club, only to stumble when she was one game away from victory in a deciding second set.
Andreeva, who left Russia as a young woman and now lives in Cannes where she is trained, lost her pace after losing the second set tiebreaker 7-4, leaving Keys running to the end in a 3-6, 7- 6, a 6-2 victory on Court Two, which was not without controversy.
In the final game of the match, Andreeva was deemed to have thrown her racket and was penalized a penalty point, resulting in Keys earning a match point. Replays showed that, as claimed, she slipped up and former American tennis star Andy Roddick backed those who called it a harsh call by the referee.
Andreeva was furious at the call and left the court immediately after the loss, choosing not to shake the chair umpire’s hand.
Mirra Andreeva couldn’t hold back her tears as her fairytale run at Wimbledon ended.
Despite racing to take the first set 6-3, Andreeva fell apart after losing the second set tiebreaker.
Madison Keys’ serve improved as the match progressed and her experience finally proved
The Russian star, currently ranked world number 102, broke down in tears on her bench down 4-1 in the decider and was unable to contain her emotions as Keys sealed match point.
It means that her Wimbledon career is over after the wins over Chloé Paquet, Tamara Korpatsch, Wang Xiyu, Barbora Krejčíková, and Anastasia Potapova.
It was a nervous start for Andreeva, which is perhaps not surprising given that it’s the furthest she’s been at a Grand Slam.
Keys held her first service game at love, before breaking with a backhand winner to go up 2-0.
But in the ninth minute of the match, the third game, Andreeva found her rhythm and managed her nerves at deuce to come on the board with a backhand winner of her own to win back the break.
From there, she seemed emboldened to be able to hold her own against such an experienced fighter as Keys and the American soon faltered, losing a 32-minute first set 6-3.
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“Of course, I feel safe, but it’s different between self-confidence and confidence,” Andreeva said last week.
‘Because if you have too much confidence in yourself, it won’t be good for your career. Because you can go, as my coach says, like a diva. So, I just try to stay humble.
But when things got tough in the second set, having gone from a break to a tiebreak, Keys showed her experience, 12 years older than Andreeva and in the tiebreak in particular she showed it.
There were boos at 5-2 as Andreeva received a racket throwing penalty point, giving Keys a match point. Andreeva was furious and said that she slipped and did not actually drop the racket.
The 28-year-old American admitted she was getting on her nerves against the intrepid teenager.
Andreeva had never played on a grass court before competing this month at Wimbledon.
Speaking to the BBC, Keys said: “I knew she’s obviously a phenomenal player, so I knew I had to stay in the game and try to give myself a chance to recover.”
“I just tried to keep the momentum going and keep going and here we are.”
The American added: “I would be lying if I said I’m not.” [feeling pressure]. You don’t want to be the person who loses to her so she gets to the first quarters of her.
“I knew that if I could try to stay in the match, my many, many, many more years on the Tour should kick in.”
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