French Open: Andreeva advances, Muchova crashes out; China's Wang Xiyu reaches last 16 for first time (Ld)
Paris, May 29
Mirra Andreeva continued her impressive run in the French Open at Roland Garros, advancing to the fourth round after defeating Marie Bouzkova, even as Karolina Muchova, a top-10 seeded player, was knocked out at Stade Roland Garros in Paris on Friday.
Andreeva's win marks her tour-leading 32nd victory of the season and her 18th win on clay. She will now face Switzerland's Jil Teichmann, who secured the ninth top-10 victory of her career with an upset over Muchova.
Andreeva, whose best Grand Slam result came at the French Open when she reached the semifinals in 2024, defeated Marie Bouzkova 6-4, 6-2 in 1 hour, 35 minutes. The victory improved the 18-year-old Russian's record against Bouzkova to 5-0 on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz, with all five wins coming in straight sets.
With the win, Andreeva became the youngest woman to reach the Round of 16 at Roland Garros in three consecutive seasons since Martina Hingis from 1997-99. The victory was also her tour-leading 32nd match win of the season and her tour-leading 18th win on clay.
Bouzkova, meanwhile, exited in the third round in Paris for the third straight year. The loss also marked her 11th consecutive defeat against a top-10 opponent.
Andreeva will next face Switzerland's Jil Teichmann, who rallied from 1-5 down in the second set to upset Muchova 6-1, 7-5 in 1 hour, 52 minutes, and reach the fourth round at Roland Garros for the second time in her career.
Teichmann returned to the tour in April after taking time away from competition since September last year. Playing just her seventh tournament since her comeback, the former world No. 21's best result of the season came in Rabat last week, where she reached the semifinals.
Now ranked No. 170 in the world, Teichmann secured the ninth top-10 victory of her career with the win over Muchova.
Teichmann is one of three Swiss women to reach the third round in Paris this year, alongside Belinda Bencic and Viktorija Golubic - the first time Switzerland has had three women reach that stage at a Grand Slam in the Open era.
For Muchova, the defeat was her first this season against a player ranked outside the top 50 after entering the match with an 11-0 record against such opponents.
Wang Xiyu advances
China's Wang Xiyu advanced to the last 16 of the women's singles for the first time in her career with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Ukraine's Yuliia Starodubtseva on Friday.
Wang made a sluggish start and fell 0-3 behind in the opening set before turning the match around. The Chinese player broke Starodubtseva in the fourth game and quickly seized the momentum, reeling off six consecutive games to take the set 6-3.
The second set was a much tighter contest, with the two players exchanging games throughout. Wang held her nerve in the closing stages to clinch the set 7-5 and secure a place in the next round.
The 25-year-old Wang is the only player from China to reach the third round of the singles main draw at this year's French Open. Starodubtseva came through qualifying and stunned world No. 2 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the previous round, producing one of the biggest upsets of the tournament so far.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Muchova losing to a player ranked 170 is a massive upset! 😲 But Teichmann showed great mental strength coming back from 1-5 down. The depth in women's tennis is just incredible now. Any given day, any player can beat anyone. Makes the tournament so unpredictable and fun to watch!
Andreeva's consistency at such a young age is phenomenal. 32 wins already this season, 18 on clay—that's champion material right there. Reminds me of how Sania Mirza used to dominate in her prime years. But we desperately need more Indian players in Grand Slam main draws. Where is the next generation? 🤔
Wang Xiyu's comeback from 0-3 down in the first set shows tremendous fighting spirit. And that win over Starodubtseva, who had just beaten Rybakina, makes it even more impressive. China is producing quality tennis players consistently now. Meanwhile, I wish Indian tennis would invest more in grassroots development programs.
I find it interesting that three Swiss women reached the third round for the first time in Open era history. 🇨🇭 Teichmann's comeback story is inspiring—taking time off, then returning to beat a top-10 player. Tennis is as much about mental strength as physical skill. Muchova will be back stronger, no doubt! 💪
Andreeva's record against Bouzkova is 5-0, all straight sets—that's pure dominance! But I'm a bit surprised Bouzkova has now lost 11 straight matches against top-10 players
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