Andreeva avenges loss to Krueger, advances to Roland Garros third round

For the second straight match at Roland Garros, Mirra Andreeva shook off a gradual begin. The No. 6 seed got here from 3-1 down within the first set Thursday to defeat Ashlyn Krueger 6-3, 6-4, advancing to the third spherical for the third time in as many appearances.

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No. 35-ranked Krueger had scored a win over Andreeva on a Grand Slam stage earlier than of their solely earlier assembly, upsetting her 6-1, 6-4 within the second spherical of final 12 months’s US Open. The 21-year-old American has continued to rise this 12 months, reaching her first WTA 500 ultimate in Abu Dhabi in February.

However Andreeva’s enchancment in 2025 has been much more spectacular. The 18-year-old has ascended into the High 10 after profitable her first two WTA 1000 titles, in Dubai and Indian Wells. Having overturned a 3-0 double-break deficit towards Cristina Bucsa in her first spherical, Andreeva once more demonstrated her capability to suppose her method again right into a match towards the highly effective Krueger.

“This match wasn’t easy,” Andreeva mentioned in her on-court interview. “I lost to her at the US Open, so I knew this match would be very tough. She’s a very powerful and aggressive player, so I knew I had to play very good today. I just tried to do everything I can. I suffered a little bit with my serve, but I’m happy I found a way in the end and I stayed calm.”

Final 12 months’s semifinalist Andreeva will subsequent face No. 32 seed Yulia Putintseva as she bids to make the second week of a significant for the fifth time in simply 9 main-draw appearances. Putintseva held off qualifier Joanna Garland 7-6(5), 6-3 over a hard-fought, closely-contested match that pitted the two-time quarterfinalist’s clay-court wiles towards the Chinese language Taipei newcomer’s energy.

Putintseva held her first two set factors at 5-3 within the first set, just for Garland to save lots of each with clear winners and drive a tiebreak, the place she took a 4-1 lead. However Putintseva’s signature drop shot aided her in taking six of the following seven factors, then conserving her nostril in entrance to take the second set as properly.

Saturday’s conflict would be the first assembly between Andreeva and Putintseva. 

First-set comeback, second-set magic moments: Krueger barely put a foot improper by means of the primary 5 video games of the match, conserving impeccable depth on her groundstrokes whereas conserving Andreeva at bay with managed aggression.

However serving at 3-2, she threw in a free service sport — three low cost unforced errors and a double fault — and Andreeva wanted no additional encouragement. Rapidly discovering her vary along with her backhand and drop shot, {the teenager} rolled by means of six straight video games from 3-1 down to guide by a break at 1-0 within the second set.

The opening half of the second set was scrappy as each gamers struggled with double faults — Andreeva tallied six and Krueger 4 — and 4 consecutive service breaks ensued. However Andreeva raised her stage halfway by means of to thrill Courtroom Simonne-Mathieu with some pleasant scorching photographs — a defensive drop shot out of nowhere within the eighth sport, then some spectacular protection completed by a operating forehand on the baseline en path to breaking for 5-4.