Mirra Andreeva holds her nerve to defeat Alexandrova and reach China open semi-finals

Mirra Andreeva battled through two tie-breaks to overcome fellow Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-6(4), 7-6(3) at the China Open on Thursday, securing her place in the semi-finals against Nikola Bartunkova.

The 19-year-old fourth seed has emerged as a leading contender for the title in Beijing following a series of surprise exits among the tournament’s higher-profile players.

Andreeva, the reigning French Open champion, made a strong start, dropping just three points on her way to establishing a two-game lead. However, she was unable to close out the opening set without a tie-break, eventually edging past the 28th-ranked Alexandrova.

The contest remained tightly fought in the second set, with neither player consistently able to dominate the rallies on a sparsely populated court. The match once again went to a tie-break, where Andreeva produced a superb forehand winner to take a 3-2 lead.

From there, the young Russian maintained her composure, conceding just one more point before sealing victory and booking her place in the last four.

Speaking after the match, Andreeva admitted she was relieved to finish the contest in straight sets.

“I am very happy that we finished this match, because I knew if it (went) to the third set it’s going to be really tough for both of us,” she said.

Praising her opponent’s performance, Andreeva added: “She played unbelievable. What a match.”