Mirra Andreeva’s remarkable Wimbledon run has come to an end, halted in the quarterfinals by Belinda Bencic.
In what was a fairytale story for the Swiss star, who missed all four Grand Slams last year as she gave birth, this marks the first Major semifinal for her since becoming a mother.
She will now face Iga Swiatek for the chance to create history.
Meanwhile, it’s back to the drawing board for the 18-year-old, who left Centre Court wiping away tears despite battling well throughout today’s match.
Tracy Austin’s words in her post-match analysis might offer some comfort for Mirra Andreeva though, as she made a bold prediction.
Tracy Austin reacts to Mirra Andreeva’s Wimbledon exit
Speaking live on the BBC immediately after her exit, Austin was full of praise for the teenage sensation.
After all, she has enjoyed a stunning tournament, reaching a career-best quarterfinal at Wimbledon.
With that in mind, the American pundit made a bold prediction about Andreeva’s future, first starting by highlighting her improvement: “Well, I think it’s the forehand side that has improved so much. The backhand side has always been rock-solid from Andreeva, from cross-court, down the line.
“This one right here, overhit that first set tiebreak, gave the hand to Conchita, because before that point, Conchita had said, ‘Brave, play bravely.’ And this one, she pushed her way forward, not an appropriate time to come forward. She was too deep in the court, got herself behind 3-1. And this is when the brain kind of starts whirling, and you start to not being able to think clearly. She overspins the forehand there. So the forehand clearly has improved so much, but it still has a way to go.
“Everything else is so much better, the serve 120 miles an hour. It’s the forehand again that players can attack.”
However, Austin thinks 2025 has laid the foundations for future greatness for Andreeva: “She’s broken in the top ten this year. She won back-to-back Masters 1000s, beating Sabalenka, beating Swiatek a couple times, Rybakina.
“I think she is going to be, in the future, I think she’s going to be world number one because of that serve as a huge weapon, her mobility, her ability to hit that backhand through the court, the slice on the forehand, the touch, the feel, the power, all of it only 18 and it has improved so much from last year.”
Bencic praised Andreeva in her post-match on-court interview.
Mirra Andreeva’s forehand let her down in Wimbledon quarterfinals
Losing in two tiebreaks is a crushing way to exit a competition, especially one as prestigious as Wimbledon.
However, it shows just how close she is to the very latter stages of these elite events.
On another day, she could have been the one cruising into the semifinal.
If there were anything to pinpoint as a particular weakness for Andreeva, it would have to be her forehand, which looked her weaker wing by some distance.
She regularly struggled to deal with the pace of Bencic’s ball, with unforced errors flying wide and long, or short balls allowing her opponent to pounce.
Luckily, time is on her side. The 18-year-old will have all the time in the world to fix these issues, and could very well be back here at the All-England Club next year, ready to lift the title.
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