(Reuters) – Mirra Andreeva saw her Australian Open run end in the fourth round on Sunday and the 16-year-old admitted that facing an opponent she had already beaten only added to the pressure.
The Russian teenager made headlines with her win over sixth seed Ons Jabeur in the second round and her comeback against Diane Parry, after losing the first set 6-1 and going 5-1 down in the decider, set up the clash with Barbora Krejcikova.
Andreeva had already faced the Czech ninth seed twice, emerging victorious on both occasions. The Russian was 6-3 4-0 up at Wimbledon last year when Krejcikova retired injured and then won 6-2 6-2 at the China Open in October.
“I had a little bit of pressure on myself before the match because I felt like I have an advantage,” Andreeva said.
“I beat her twice before. It’s the round of 16. I can go through to the quarter-finals for the first time.”
Winning the opening set may also have allowed complacency to set in but Krejcikova came back to win 4-6 6-3 6-2.
“After winning the first set, I was like, okay, I’m almost there,” Andreeva said.
“But the first set doesn’t mean that you won the match. That’s what happened to me a few times last year. I guess I have to learn from it.”
Despite failing in her bid to reach a quarter-final for the first time, having also made it to the fourth round at Wimbledon last year, the young Russian will take plenty of good memories from the Australian Open.
“I think I had a good tournament overall. I played a fourth round for the second time in my life, I hope it’s not the last,” Andreeva said.
“There are a lot of positive things to take from this trip. My last match was great, I have beaten my idol (Jabeur) here. Yeah, a lot of positive things to take, and also from today’s match.”
Krejcikova will face defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in the quarter-finals, while Andreeva said she will now tackle the Qatar Open in Doha and Dubai Tennis Championships next month.
(Reporting by Trevor Stynes; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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