Day 9 - Match of the day session: Friend and foe

So, then, Daria: what do you think of Mirra?” The reply is swift and emphatic: “I hate her!” That will do for us. Except that Daria was joking. She is actually good friends with Mirra and the two often practise together. The press pack looked crestfallen.

There is a 10 year age difference between the two (Andreeva is still only 18) but it does not seem to matter. Neither does the difference in their fortunes, either. In a decade on tour, Kasatkina has won eight titles; this is only Andreeva’s second full season on tour and already she has three trophies, two of them won this year. 

Order of Play for Day 9

“She's an amazing player,” Kasatkina said. “She's super young and super talented, so she will achieve a lot of things.”

No animosity there, then. Let’s try Mirra and see what she thinks.

“I practised with her here once already, so I think that we practise together every tournament,” she said, cheerily. “It's going to be an entertaining match, for sure, because I think we both know each other very well.

“I think that it's going to be fun and also maybe pretty tight. We're going to see, but I think that the match is going to be super interesting.”

The one point of friction (all presented tongue in cheek, obviously) between them is Kasatkina’s vlog, “What the Vlog”. Going behind the scenes on the WTA Tour, she interviews players and gives a general flavour of life on the road. When she was in Rome, she brought Andreeva onto the show. And what did Mirra think of her friend’s interviewing technique? “I think she can improve.” 

“I was right: I hate her!” Kasatkina responded when told of this. “She is not the one to talk about it because actually she had opportunity to interview players in our Rome vlog. She took the camera, and went to talk with someone in the restaurant… It was terrible.”

When they are not squabbling and giggling together, they are warriors both. They have only met competitively once before, in the Ningbo final last year. Kasatkina won 6-0, 4-6, 6-4 and recalls the match as a “big drama”. With that in mind, she reckoned she would have to work hard on Court Suzanne-Lenglen to stand a chance of repeating that result.

“I have to run a lot,” she said. “It's going to be long rallies. Mirra, she's not giving anything for free. You know, to get every point, I'll have to die on court. I'm ready for that. This is what I'm working for.”

Three to watch on Monday

Court Philipp-Chatrier, second match
Lois Boisson (WC) vs Jessica Pegula (3)

This is what dreams are made of: a year ago, Lois Boisson was on crutches and her career was in the balance. She had torn the ACL in her left knee and the doctors were not sure whether she would be able to play again.

Nine months later, the Frenchwoman came back to the tour at the start of this season and started over. Given a wild card here, she now finds herself one match away from the quarter-finals.

Standing in her way is the world No.3 (Boisson is No.361) but Jessica Pegula is wary of what is coming on Monday.

“She’s going to have some crazy support for her,” she said. “I'm pretty good at kind of zoning out. I have played in some pretty rowdy crowds. I think it will be fun. It will be cool to be a part of that. Even though they're not for me, it will still be fun. I don't think I have ever played a French player here, so that will be interesting.”

Court Suzanne-Lenglen, third match
Hailey Baptiste vs Madison Keys (7)

On paper, this looks to be a lopsided matchup. Madison Keys is the Australian Open champion, a former US Open finalist and Roland-Garros semi-finalist. Hailey Baptiste, the 23-year-old world No.70, had never made it beyond the second round at any Slam.

But do not let the facts get in the way of a good story – this match just might have a surprise or two to offer.

When Baptiste was 17 (and ranked a lowly No.283), she took on Keys, then the world No.17, in the first round of the Washington D.C. event and won in straight sets. It was her first tour-level match, to boot. 

Here in Paris, she has reached the fourth round for the loss of only one set.

“I have seen her growing up,” Keys said. “She's very talented. She knows how to mix up paces, but can also, all of a sudden, absolutely crack the ball. It’s going to be a really tough match.”

Court Philippe Chatrier, third match
Cameron Norrie vs Novak Djokovic (6)

There were fireworks in Cameron Norrie's previous round; plenty of fireworks. But they were nothing to do with him. As he removed fellow Brit Jake Fearnley from his path, the Paris Saint-Germain fans were setting off rockets and firecrackers just down the road to celebrate their team’s Champions League success. But our Cam doesn’t do fireworks.

He is in the second week here for the first time and for only the second time at any Grand Slam since 2022. He has done it by doing what he does best: running, defending and waiting for his chance. And then doing it again and again.

Beating Daniil Medvedev in the first round was as mentally exhausting as it was physically tiring (they went the full five sets) but then he had to back that up by getting back to basics and getting through the rounds.

“I played really seven out of 10 for the whole time,” he said. I was really able to play consistent kind of vintage Norrie tennis. Just playing seven out of 10 for three and a half hours or as long as I needed to do that.”

Now there is Novak Djokovic standing in his path, the same Novak he took to three sets in Geneva on his way to Paris. Don’t expect fireworks but do settle in for a heck of a fight.