Aryna Sabalenka knows how to win the biggest matches on the biggest stages; Mirra Andreeva is still learning, but she is learning fast
Aryna Sabalenka has seen it all before; Mirra Andreeva is learning every day. Sabalenka has won two Grand Slam titles and reached one major final; Andreeva is in her first major quarter-final. Sabalenka is 26 and the world No.2; Andreeva has only recently turned 17 and is ranked No.38.
And in the only two matches they have played (both on clay in Madrid), Sabalenka has won handily. On paper, it looks one-sided but there is more to big matches than bald facts.
Andreeva’s great weapon is that she seems to know no fear. It is not something that can be learned or coached; it is a natural gift, one that many a player would pay good money to possess.
Sure enough, she has a coach – she is working with Conchita Martinez at the moment – and, sure enough, she listens intently when Conchita speaks. But then she tends to forget what she has been told and simply plays the way she thinks she should play (well, she is a teenager). As a tactic, it has served her well so far.
Refusing to discuss how she would take on the power of Sabalenka, just in case the world No.2 was listening (she is not daft), Andreeva was hoping to learn from her two previous defeats.
©Nicolas Gouhier / FFT“We will change something, because the way I played last two times didn't work,” she said. “So of course, me, I don't have anything in my head, so I hope my coach will help me with it. But I'm a player who goes on court and I'm just playing and I see how things are and then I can adjust a little bit during my match.
“I think maybe this helps me a little bit that I'm not really worried about my plan or about the way I will play or about the way my opponent will play. I just go and I play and I see what happens.”
Of course, Andreeva knows that Sabalenka is not like most of the other players. She and Iga Swiatek have been chasing each other around the globe in pursuit of Grand Slam titles and ranking points for the past four years; they live in a different world to the average player.
Waiting to “see what happens” is not enough of a game plan to take on a Grand Slam champion.
“I feel she's really experienced,” Andreeva said. “She's a player of another level, so I have to be prepared from the beginning. I hope my coach will help me with that, and, well, we'll see how it goes.”
Maybe Andreeva will remember what Conchita tells her this time. And if not, at least she will not worry. Approaching the biggest match of her life, that is a great weapon to rely upon.
©️Philippe Montigny / FFTCourt Philippe-Chatrier, second match: Elena Rybakina vs Jasmine Paolini (not before 14:15)
As the spotlight has fallen on the top two seeds since the start of the tournament, Rybakina has been quietly going about her business almost unnoticed. Given that she is the world No.4 and a former Wimbledon champion, that seems strange but it is the way the quietly-spoken Rybakina likes it.
As she comes into this quarter-final, she has the reassurance of knowing she has beaten Paolini twice in three meetings and even if their last encounter was the tightest yet, she still won in three sets.
“She's a tough opponent,” Rybakina said. “We played recently in Stuttgart - she's moving well. She's also hitting the ball quite heavy. We know each other well and she’s been playing good. But I will try to focus on myself.”
ROLAND-GARROS
19 May - 8 June 2025
