Day 3 Diary: Murray, Jabeur put smile on Andreeva's face

Andreeva leads teen charge

In her maiden appearance in a Grand Slam main draw, 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva has wasted little time making a mark in Paris.

Yet to drop a set through three rounds of qualifying she continued that trend on Tuesday, making short work of Alison Riske-Amritraj, 6-2, 6-1.

Seemingly as unflappable on court as off it, the teenager revealed part of the key to her recent success was relying on instinct.

“I am just doing what I feel is right to do on the court,” she grinned. “Honestly, when we talk with my coaches about the plan for the match, I think about it just right before the match, but then I forget all the stuff, and I just play as I feel, and that's it.”

Having declared herself a fan of Andy Murray en route to her maiden WTA 1000 quarter-final in Madrid, Andreeva said the former world No.1 has since offered his support.

“After he won a Challenger, I texted him,” she said. “I said, ‘Congratulations’. He actually answered me, so I was really happy about it. He said, ‘Thank you, and good luck in Roland-Garros’. Maybe that's why I'm playing that good now.”

During her Madrid run, the Cannes-based teenager also revealed she enjoyed No.7 seed Ons Jabeur’s court craft, and hoped her recent feats might earn her the chance to practise with the Tunisian.

“I met her a couple of times here,” Andreeva said. “Of course, I would like to hit with her – who would not like it?”

Alerted to her new fan, Jabeur joked it made her feel old.

“Hopefully we can play each other,” Jabeur said. “I can give her a signed picture. She can put it in her bedroom.”

Heat give Zverev a boost

Returning to the site of a serious ankle injury in the semi-finals at Roland-Garros last year, Alexander Zverev has opened his account on the right foot, so to speak.

Having struggled to reach the same heights in the six months since his return to the tour, the German scored a confidence-boosting 7-6(6), 7-6(0), 6-1 win over Lloyd Harris, the South African having returned from his own surgery, on his wrist.

Zverev revealed he had a good feeling heading into his opening round after the Miami Heat’s deciding NBA playoffs win over Boston Celtics early on Tuesday morning.

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“I'm extremely happy with that. I woke up this morning, I knew it was going to be a good day,” the No.22 seed said. “I'm unbelievably happy. Miami Heat is my favourite basketball team in the world, my favourite sport team in the world.

“I'm happy they're going to the NBA finals, hopefully they can win it.

“Hopefully Jimmy Butler is going to be playing the way he's been playing. I think we have good chances, so I'm looking forward to that. I'm not going to sleep at all the next two weeks. I don't know how my on-court performance will be but I'll be definitely watching.”

Rybakina weathers Czech threat

Third seed Elena Rybakina is already hearing her name in talk of title contention in Paris this year.

On Tuesday she subdued the dangerous 16-year-old qualifier Brenda Fruhvirtova.

The teenager earned her right to join big sister Linda in the main draw of a Grand Slam for the second time (after this year’s Australian Open) and acquitted herself well despite falling to the reigning Wimbledon champion.

“She played really well, especially for her age,” Rybakina said. “I don’t even remember what I was doing at her age, I think still playing juniors.

“I think it's amazing. If she keeps on going like this she'll be really good, very fast.

“We never played against each other. I got used to playing with the same players and maybe didn't start that well, so it takes a bit longer for me to figure out actually how to play her.”

In fact, at the same age Rybakina was preparing to make her junior Grand Slam debut at Flushing Meadows, where she exited in the third round.

Within seven years she was a major champion.

Vavassori prevails in five-hour epic

What a way to win a Grand Slam main draw debut match.

Italian 28-year-old Andrea Vavassori had never even contested qualifying in Paris before this year, but after winning his way through to the main event he produced a monumental comeback from two sets down to deny No.31 seed Miomir Kecmanovic.

The world No.148 emerged triumphant 5-7, 2-6, 7-6(8), 7-6(3), 7-6(9) after five hours and 10 minutes.

He hit 106 winners and saved five match points, including four in the fourth-set tiebreak.

His next assignment comes against fellow qualifier Genaro Alberto Olivieri of Argentina, who pulled off a five-set winner over French wildcard Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.

Parry rises to the occasion, again

A year ago, Frenchwoman Diane Parry had the crowd abuzz on Court Philippe-Chatrier with her upset of defending champion and then No.2 seed Barbora Krejcikova.

Something about big home courts at Roland-Garros and facing a seed suits the 20-year-old well.

On Tuesday, the former junior world No.1, with her silky-smooth single-handed backhand, sent 25th seed Anhelina Kalinina packing, 6-2, 6-3 to set a first meeting with Mirra Andreeva.

“I don't know her at all. She's very young, so I've never played against her in juniors, and she's coming on the pro circuit in a beautiful manner,” Parry said of Andreeva. “She's a newbie, and I haven't had many opportunities to see her play, so I know it's going to be a tough match.”