Mirra Andreeva admits what she was really ‘struggling’ with early on during her third-round match at the French Open

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Mirra Andreeva enjoyed a breakthrough Grand Slam performance at Roland Garros last year and looks to have carried on where she left off in 2025.

The Russian number one trailed during the early stages of her opening match at the 2025 French Open before Andreeva recovered to beat Cristina Bucsa, 6-4, 6-3.

Moving on, Andreeva beat Ashlyn Krueger, 6-3, 6-4, in her second-round match to advance to the round of 32.

There, she took down the French Open’s number 32 seed Yulia Putintseva in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1.

The scoreline would suggest Andreeva had an easy time of things against the Kazakh star, although she now reveals that wasn’t the case.

Mirra Andreeva admits Yulia Putintseva made things ‘uncomfortable’ during their French Open match

During her on-court interview, Andreeva explained why she ‘struggled’ during the first set of her win over Putintseva.

“Of course, I knew that Yulia [Putintseva] is a very tricky player,” said Andreeva.

“She plays very interesting, and it’s a little uncomfortable for me, she likes to cut the rhythm a lot, I struggled with it, especially in the beginning.

“I knew this match was going to be tough, I practised with her once, I think, so I kind of knew what to expect, but practice is completely different than the match, so I knew that I had to play 100%, fight for every ball, try to get those dropshots.

“I’m happy with the way I played today.”

Andreeva’s use of the dropshot was excellent against Putintseva, using the technique to great effect when the Kazakh stood by the baseline.

Making her opponent move around the court, Andreeva carved out eight break points during the match, converting five of them.

Earlier in the tournament, Andreeva jokingly revealed that the intensity of her warm-ups is determined by the mood of her coach, Conchita Martinez.

Following her third-round win, interviewer Marion Bartoli asked Andreeva what her warm-up was like before the match.

“Thank god, I was playing well in the warm-up, so I don’t think she had a chance to be p— at me and move me that much, but she did a little bit, it’s kind of her thing to make me suffer a little bit,” said Andreeva.

“But it’s ok, hard work pays off, of course, sometimes I wish that we would take maybe a little bit more rest, but it’s fine.”

Andreeva will certainly be looking to rest up ahead of her fourth-round match with Australia’s Daria Kasatkina.

Have Mirra Andreeva and Daria Kasatkina played each other before?

Andreeva and Kasatkina have played each other once before, in the 2024 Ningbo Open final.

It was Kasatkina who took the early lead in China seven months ago, handing her (then) fellow-Russian a rare bagel (6-0 set).

Fighting back, Andreeva levelled the final at one set all, taking the second 6-4, as their first career meeting required a deciding set.

Eventually, it was Kasatkina who prevailed, winning 6-0, 4-6, 6-4, to clinch the eighth WTA title of her career.

Andreeva and Kasatkina are close off the court, with the former often appearing on the Australian’s ‘What the Vlog’ YouTube channel.

It remains to be seen who will come out on top in the second career meeting between the pair, when they face off for a spot in the quarterfinals on Sunday, June 1.

Mirra Andreeva improves her impressive record at Roland Garros

In 2024, Andreeva reached the semi-finals of the French Open, losing out to Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in the last four.

Enjoying another strong showing on her third visit to the French capital, Andreeva has improved her record at her most successful Grand Slam event.

The 18-year-old would no doubt love to extend her record at Roland Garros to 14-2 in 2025, taking home her maiden Grand Slam title in the process.

If she were to do so, she’d become the fourth youngest French Open women’s singles champion in history behind Monica Seles (16 years old), Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (17 years old), and Steffi Graf (17 years old).