Day 5 - match of the day session: Vika’s mini-me

Seventeen-year-old Andreeva is a charming young woman in her press conferences: honest, funny and happy to talk. And yet when she steps on to a tennis court, she takes no prisoners. That has been obvious from her first matches at tour level.

Last year, she was given a wildcard in the Madrid 1000 event – she was days away from her 16th birthday at the time – and notched up her first tour win against Leylah Fernandez.

She followed that up with her first top-20 win against Beatrice Hadad Maia and went on to reach the fourth round. Only Aryna Sabalenka, the eventual champion, could stop her. Young Mirra had made her grand entrance.

Now go back to 2005 and a 16-year-old Azarenka was playing her first WTA event in Guangzhou. Coming through qualifying, she powered her way through to the semi-finals without dropping a set. She, too, had made a major statement of intent. It was the start of a stellar career that has, to date, taken her to two Australian Open titles, three US Open finals and the world No.1 ranking.

In her pomp, she was one of the few players that Serena Williams regarded if not as an equal then certainly as a very worthy rival. Serena treated Vika with the utmost respect. Feisty, unafraid to say what she thought, Azarenka was not – and is not – to be messed with.

These days, not much has changed: Azarenka still speaks her mind and she is still fiery on the court. But now she has a seven-year-old son, Leo, and while motherhood may have mellowed her slightly away from her day job, it has changed nothing when she has a racket in her hand. And she brings up young Leo with the philosophy “effort is non-negotiable”. 

The similarities between today’s rivals go on: both women wear Nike clothing, they are just 17 spots apart in the rankings (Andreeva is No.38, Azarenka is No.21), both are represented by the same management company and they are both born winners. The question is which one of them will win on Thursday?

Four to watch

Court Philippe-Chatrier, first match: Aryna Sabalenka vs Moyuka Uchijima

It may look like mission impossible – the world No.83 taking on the No.2 and the Australian Open champion – but never underestimate Uchijima. She came through the qualifying competition and is now in the second round proper and all without dropping a set.

Taking on the power and experience of Sabalenka may prove to be a step too far for the Japanese but, then again, stranger things have happened. She has nothing at all to lose; Sabalenka is expected to win with considerable ease – and that merely adds to the pressure on the favourite.

Court Suzanne-Lenglen, first match: Daniil Medvedev vs Miomir Kecmanovic

Medvedev and the clay courts have not been the happiest of partners over the years. The former world No.1 is very much a hard court man and for all that he knows that he can play on the red stuff – he won the Rome title last year – it doesn’t always go according to plan. This year, he has employed the help of Gilles Simon, France’s former world No.6, to help him.

Simon is there to help with tactics and also because “he knew how to beat me,” Medvedev said, “so this could be good just to have him explain what he sees as my weakness and that we can improve.” It worked at the Australian Open (Medvedev reached the final) but Roland-Garros is the big challenge. No matter, today he faces a man who has only once got beyond the second round here – and that was two years ago.

Court Philippe-Chatrier, second match: Elina Svitolina vs Diane Parry

This one could be a tough watch for the Paris crowd: Svitolina is, of course, Mrs Gael Monfils, wife of the much-loved world No.37 while Parry is the homegrown favourite.

Who to cheer for? Svitolina’s story of coming back from maternity leave last year and, in the space of four months, winning the title in Strasbourg and reaching the quarter-finals here and the semi-finals at Wimbledon brought her a new crowd of supporters wherever she went (and she had plenty to start with).

Parry, meanwhile is that rarity of the WTA Tour: a player with a single-handed backhand. She has also broken the French mould by hiring a coach from Argentina in Martin Vilar. So far, the partnership is working well and Parry reached a career-high No.49 last month.

Court Suzanne-Lenglen, third match: Alexander Zverev vs David Goffin

Right, Mr Zverev: what do you have left? After facing Rafael Nadal on Monday, Zverev looked shellshocked. For three hours and three sets, he had kept his mind in lockdown to block out the occasion and the crowd (for that afternoon, he knew he would be about as popular as the man who shot Bambi’s mother) and it worked. He beat the 14-time champion in what could be Nadal’s last match at Roland-Garros.

But now Zverev has to reset and start again. And that will not be easy. Still, the German has been playing well all season (he reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open and is the champion of Rome) while Goffin, once the world No.7, is now ranked No.115 after spending the past three years dealing with a serious knee injury.