Aryna Sabalenka beats Kishori Andreeva in Madrid Open, Daniil Medvedev advances | tennis news
Russian teenager Mira Andreeva’s impressive run at the Madrid Open ended with a loss to second seed Aryna Sabalenka on Monday.
After three straight-set victories against top-40 opponents in her main-draw debut, the 16-year-old wild-card entry could not overcome Sabalenka in the fourth round, losing 6–3, 6–1 in their first encounter. Centre-court presence in the Spanish capital.
Andreeva became the youngest player to reach the last 16 of a WTA 1000 event after defeating 2021 US Open finalist Leyla Fernandez in the first round, 14th-ranked Beatriz Haddad Maia in the second and 19th-ranked Magda Linette in the third. She won 16 straight matches at all levels before losing to Sabalenka, her first top-10 opponent.
“It was a great match. I’m really happy with the result.” “The first few matches I was just trying to adjust to his game and his rhythm. After that I started feeling my game a bit better and started playing better.”
Sabalenka, the reigning Australian Open champion and 2021 Madrid Open winner, made it to the last eight for the second time in Madrid. She reached at least the quarterfinals in all seven tournaments she played in 2023, posting a 26–4 record for the year.
Her next opponent will be Mayer Sherif, who defeated 24th seed Elise Merton 6-4, 0-6, 6-4 after nearly three hours to become the first Egyptian player to reach the quarterfinals of a WTA 1000 tournament.
In the men’s draw, Daniil Medvedev was down twice in the final set to reach the last 16 with a 4–6, 6–1, 7–5 win over fellow Russian Alexander Shevchenko.
“He played well. He’s young, so I’m sure he will (move up) in the rankings, especially if he plays like that in this tournament,” Medvedev said of 96th-ranked Shevchenko, who made his debut in Madrid. The main draw debutants were Qualifying.
The win takes Medvedev to a tour best 33-4 record this season. He will next face qualifier Aslan Karatsev, who beat 16th seed Alex de Minaur 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.
The 22-year-old Shevchenko, who appeared to be struggling with cramps towards the end of the match, took a 5-1 lead in the first set but fell behind 5-0 in the second. He then took 2-0 and 4-2 leads in the deciding set.
“I think I played pretty well in the second and third sets and maybe that’s the end of the first one,” said third seed Medvedev. “About clay (is) usually difficult for me to start matches for whatever reason. I need a lot of time to get used to what is happening on the court. The third set (I) could have been a little better in the crucial moments, or maybe a lot better. But in the end I won, so that counts too.”
Medvedev has won consecutive matches in Madrid for the first time.
Ninth seeded American Frances Tiafoe lost 6-1, 7-6(2) to Pedro Cachin, while Jan-Lennard Struff beat Dusan Lajovic 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-3. Beat off.
Women’s No. 1 Iga Swiatek will later take on 16th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova for a place in the quarterfinals. 16-year-old Russian Mira Andreeva will take on second seed Aryna Sabalenka.
Irina-Cornelia Begu beat 14th seed Lyudmila Samsonova 6-4, 6-4 for her third win against a top-20 opponent in 2023. This will be his third quarterfinal appearance in Madrid.
The text of this story is published from a wire agency feed without any modification.
