Melbourne: Sixteen-year-old Mirra Andreeva extended her impressive run at the Australian Open by staging a remarkable comeback in the third round Friday. Trailing 1-5 in the final set and facing a match point, she displayed incredible skills to overcome France’s Diane Parry with a thrilling 1-6, 6-1, 7-6 (10-5) victory.
For a spot in her first Grand Slam quarterfinal, she’ll face the winner of Friday night’s match between 2021 Roland Garros champion Barbora Krejcikova, whom she beat twice last year, and Australian qualifier Storm Hunter.
Parry’s game was at its most fluid in a half-hour opening set, in which the combination of her heavy forehand at the baseline, comfort at the net, and overall all-court prowess left Andreeva befuddled.
The former junior World No.1 broke serve twice, and saved all four break points she faced — all came in the seventh game as she sought to serve out the set and, in her third Grand Slam third-round appearance was one set away from her first fourth round.
In set two, Andreeva returned the favor by winning the last five games and 18 of the last 22 points.
After two fast-paced sets, the match took a dramatic turn in the thrilling third set. Parry served for the win twice, holding a match point at 5-2, 30-40 on Andreeva’s serve. However, Andreeva mounted an impressive comeback, winning five consecutive games. Despite this, she couldn’t serve out the match herself in the end.
In the decisive 10-point tiebreak, Andreeva quickly took control, winning three consecutive points after an initial setback. She secured four more points in a row from 3-2, ultimately claiming victory on her second match point after 2 hours and 23 minutes of intense play.
IANS