Rising Russian teen star Mirra Andreeva booked her ticket to the second round of the French Open on Tuesday, recovering from an early double break before reeling off a straight sets win over Spain’s Cristina Bucsa.
Sixth seed Andreeva, who had an impressive run to the semi-finals at Roland Garros last year, advanced 6-4, 6-3 past her 98th-ranked opponent with two aces and four breaks of serve. “I just tried not to think about last year’s results,” said the 18-year-old. “It’s always tough to start a tournament. I felt like she was playing good today. My goal was just to keep fighting, playing, and showing everything I can, trying to put a lot of balls in the court. Then in the end, point by point, I managed to find my rhythm.”
Playing her first Grand Slam match as a top-10 seed, the player from Siberia needed to come back from 3-0 down in the first set in damp and chilly conditions in Paris. “If it’s cold I suffer a bit in (the) warm-up,” said Andreeva. “But to be honest I don’t feel the difference when either it’s hot or cold.”