Andreeva solves Kasatkina's riddle

As shadows ambled across fabled Court Suzanne-Lenglen beneath the midday sun, Andreeva battled through a perilous encounter with Daria Kasatkina to become the youngest woman to reach consecutive Roland-Garros quarterfinals since Martina Hingis in 1997-1998.

Scroll down for more about the 18-year-old’s latest triumph on the Parisian clay.

Story of the match

As a 16 year-old on her Roland-Garros debut, Andreeva struggled to keep her emotions in check during her trip to the third round. She may still be a teenager, but it’s safe to say those days are over.

If there was anything that sparked Andreeva's hard-fought win over two-time quarter-finalist Kasatkina, it was her patience and her maturity. She stuck with a game plan, even though she was struggling to play at her highest level.

In the opening set, things reached a lull while she served at 3-3 and faced multiple break points. Andreeva was present enough to rise to the occasion, saving the first with an ace before sweeping through the second to hold for 4-3.

That positive swell opened the gates for a break for 5-3 and the set would soon be hers. 

Andreeva’s all-court brilliance started to flow in the first two games of set two as she broke and consolidated for 2-0. When she’s at her best, there is an impressive combination of power and finesse at her beck and call. Today, both went missing at times, but not her resilience.

Credit the clever, punchy Kasatkina for forcing Andreeva to go to the well for this win. She hit back ferociously, and was the better player for much of the second set.

The former world No.8 would soon be rewarded with a 5-3 lead, but Andreeva would not be denied. 

Two defensive gems soon brought her legendary coach Conchita Martinez to her feet for the first time all day, as Andreeva served to stay alive in set two. Kasatkina soldiered on, earning a set point nevertheless.

That was Andreeva’s cue to elevate her level once again. She put on a mind-boggling defensive clinic over the next game and a half and managed to inspire awe among the Lenglen faithful while reclaiming the break lead at the same time.

"Of course it gives me also a lot of confidence to know that I'm able to get to those points and put a lot of balls back in the court and I'm able to start the point again," Andreeva told reporters. "And I feel like even after running for so long, I'm able to generate more power if I need to."

Now at full throttle, Andreeva closed with a run of 11 of 13 points to lock down the satisfying victory in one hour and 34 minutes. 

Execution-wise, the teenager was far from her best level on Monday. But tennis is a brain game more than anything. Andreeva gets the highest marks in that regard.

Key stats

Andreeva (18 years and 26 days) is the youngest woman to claim double digit match wins (11) at Roland-Garros since Martina Hingis (16 years and 238 days) in 1997. 

Andreeva won 47 rallies that lasted five or more shots in the match, and lost 35. 

The world No.6, who played here last year ranked No.38, improves to 22-8 lifetime at the majors and 11-2 on the terre battue of Paris.

Two-time quarter-finalist Kasatkina had won the only previous career meeting against Andreeva, in the Ningbo final in 2024. 

What Andreeva said

On getting through against a tricky opponent: “I’m so happy that I won because I hate playing against her. We practice a lot and even the practices are absolute torture. 

On trusting herself across a difficult encounter: “She raised her level and I just knew that I had to fight and keep on playing my game. Maybe it wasn’t going to work in my second set but I just knew that if I kept believing in myself I would win the third set.” 

On why she practices often with Kasatkina: “My coach says that you have to practice with people that you don’t like. That’s why we practice a lot, because I hate her. I’m joking, she’s a great person and a great player. I knew that this match of course was going to be tough and I’m just happy to be back in the quarter-finals.”