Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva stormed into her second French Open semi-final on Tuesday, dismantling Romanian veteran Sorana Cirstea 6-0, 6-3 under the closed roof of Court Philippe-Chatrier. The eighth-seeded 19-year-old needed just 56 minutes to book her place in the final four, solidifying her status as a prime contender for a maiden Grand Slam title.
With this victory, Andreeva secured her 19th match win at Roland Garros. The milestone etches her name into the record books, establishing a new benchmark for the most women’s singles match wins at the French Open by a teenager in the 21st century.
Andreeva previously reached the semi-final stage in Paris as a 17-year-old in 2024.
THE SNOOP DOGG MANTRA
Beyond her record-breaking tennis, Andreeva charmed the Parisian crowd by explaining her viral post-match tradition of thanking herself alongside her team and fans during trophy presentations. The teenager revealed the ritual was lifted directly from American rap icon Snoop Dogg’s famous Hollywood Walk of Fame speech.
“At first, when I said that in a speech, I just saw Snoop Dogg say it when he was receiving an award,” Andreeva said during her on-court interview.
“So for the first couple of times, I kind of stole it just to make a joke. But then I kind of realised that it’s actually true. We also have to thank ourselves for the work that we do on the court, for how much we sacrifice, for how much we practice, and for how much we work.”
TACTICAL DOMINANCE
The quarter-final itself was a display of relentless precision from the young Russian. Andreeva raced through the opening set in just 24 minutes, leaving the 36-year-old Cirstea-playing her final season on tour-completely searching for rhythm. Andreeva consistently punished weak deliveries and converted six break points throughout the encounter.
Cirstea offered temporary resistance in the second set, recovering an early break to level proceedings at 3-3. However, Andreeva reasserted her dominance, breaking the Romanian twice more to seal the match.
When asked if her exceptional court vision was a learned trait, Andreeva indicated it was largely instinctive.
“From a very young age, I just felt like I was reading the game,” she remarked. “I just never knew that it’s something special.”
Andreeva dominated the power game, hitting first serves at will while Cirstea struggled with her second serves, winning less than 20 percent points with them.
Andreeva will face Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in the semi-finals. Marta defeated compatriot Elina Svitolina in three sets in the second women’s singles quarterfinal on Tuesday.
– Ends
