French Open: Mirra Andreeva turns tables on Ashlyn Krueger with gritty second-round win

Paris, May 29 (IANS) Ten months after Ashlyn Krueger had knocked her out of the US Open in straight sets, the 18-year-old Russian, Mirra Andreeva, found her moment of redemption on the clay courts of Roland Garros. Andreeva overcame a slow start to outplay Krueger 6-3, 6-4 in the second round on Thursday, advancing to the third round in Paris for the third consecutive year.

Andreeva once again showcased her resilience in a match that mirrored her gritty opening-round comeback. Down 3-1 in the opening set, she turned the tide against the hard-hitting Krueger with smart shot selection and unshakable nerves. From 3-1 down, Andreeva reeled off six consecutive games to take the set and the momentum.

“This match wasn’t easy,” Andreeva said in her post-match interview. “I lost to her at the US Open, so I knew it would be tough. She’s powerful and aggressive, so I had to stay calm and find a way.”

Krueger, who had bested Andreeva 6-1, 6-4 in New York and reached her first WTA 500 final in Abu Dhabi earlier this year, started strongly. Her depth and accuracy troubled Andreeva early, and she seemed in control through the first five games. But a lapse in concentration while serving at 3-2, including three unforced errors and a double fault, opened the door, and Andreeva marched right through.

The match turned once the teenager found her rhythm, especially off her backhand wing and with crafty drop shots. Her run of six straight games flipped the script and put her a set and a break ahead.

The second set turned scrappy. Both players struggled with their serves, combining for 10 double faults, and there were four consecutive breaks of serve in the middle phase. But as the set wore on, Andreeva’s variety and movement shone. In the eighth game, she thrilled the Court Simonne-Mathieu crowd with a deft defensive drop shot and followed it up in the next game with brilliant retrieving and a sprinting forehand winner that earned her the decisive break.

She closed the match confidently, sealing a straight-sets win that underlined just how far she has come in 2025. Now ranked inside the Top 10 after claiming her first two WTA 1000 titles in Dubai and Indian Wells, Andreeva is maturing fast — mentally and tactically.

Awaiting her in the third round is either No. 32 seed Yulia Putintseva or qualifier Joanna Garland, as the former Roland Garros semifinalist continues her quest to reach the second week of a major for the fifth time in just her ninth Grand Slam main-draw appearance.

--IANS

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