Mirra Andreeva made her return to action at the China Open, playing in her first match since the US Open.
Nearly a month after Andreeva lost to Taylor Townsend in a shock upset at Flushing Meadows, she cruised past Zhu Lin in Beijing, 6-2, 6-2, to book her place in round three.
The Russian, ranked fifth in the world, has enjoyed an impressive third season on the WTA Tour, reaching two Grand Slam quarterfinals and adding two more titles to her name.
Andreeva has managed to crack the world’s top five this season and continues to improve her game, which she said has much to do with a statistic about herself she saw earlier this year.
Mirra Andreeva says she is learning how to better herself
“I can say that at the beginning of the year, I really tried to focus on being more aggressive,” said the 18-year-old after her opening victory at the China Open.
“I remember WTA posted some statistics showing that I was in first place for the most winners on tour. When I saw that, I was like, ‘Me? Really’?
“I was never known for hitting a lot of winners or being super aggressive, so I thought, ‘Okay, this is a good sign’.
“After that, I felt like I was a little afraid to miss — maybe afraid to make mistakes. Sometimes I tend to take a step back and just put the ball back in the court, but that doesn’t really work against these great players.
“Now I’m trying to force myself to hit, and it’s working. Even today, at the beginning of the match, it was pretty tight in the first couple of games.
“I told myself, ‘Just go for your shots. Even if you miss, it’s better to miss like that than to be passive and just put the ball in the court’.
“In the end, it worked. I didn’t miss much, so I guess I’m just going to stick with this approach.”
Mirra Andreeva says she is learning how to deal with pressure
Though Andreeva has yet to top her semifinal finish at Roland Garros from 2024, she has had her best year at majors in 2025.
She advanced to the fourth round of the Australian Open and made it to the last eight at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
- Australian Open: Lost to Aryna Sabalenka in the fourth round
- Roland Garros: Lost to Lois Boisson in the quarterfinals
- Wimbledon: Lost to Belinda Bencic in the quarterfinals
- US Open: Lost to Taylor Townsend in the third round
Andreeva said she has adopted a new technique to deal with the pressure that comes with playing on the biggest stages in tennis.
“I’m kind of learning how to be nicer and kinder to myself, to give myself some time, and to not judge myself too harshly or too quickly,” she explained
“I’m learning new things and learning how to be better to myself. I can say that now it’s a little bit easier.
“Obviously, there are still days when it’s hard, but I’m learning and improving, trying to make it easier for me. For now, it does feel easier — I’m just trying to learn and apply this new technique I’ve been using.”
In the next round at the China Open, Andreeva will take on Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.
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