Mirra Andreeva Battles into Madrid Quarterfinal Despite ‘I’m Going to Lose’ Mentality Amid ‘Bulls**t Smell’

Mirra Andreeva will be locking horns with Leylah Fernandez in the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open.

Mirra Andreeva Battles into Madrid Quarterfinal Despite ‘I’m Going to Lose’ Mentality Amid ‘Bulls**t Smell’

Mirra Andreeva played a tough match in the Madrid Open (Image via Tennis.com)

In Short
  • Mirra Andreeva advanced to the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open after defeating Anna Bondar in a three-set match.
  • She expressed frustration during the match, complaining about a foul odor and doubting her abilities, stating, "I'm not a champion. I'm going to lose."
  • Andreeva is aiming for her third WTA 1000 title and will face Leylah Fernandez next in the tournament.

Mirra Andreeva is into the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open. On Monday (April 27th), the Russian ace came from a set down to overcome Anna Bondar 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-6(5) in nearly three hours to reach the last eight in Madrid for the third consecutive time.

Andreeva, who has often seen losing her complete cool while competing, complained to chair umpire Jennifer Zhang about an odor coming from the back of the court while serving at 2-2, 40-40, saying, “It literally smells like bulls**t over there. Like very bad.”

Watch the video here:

Then, in the third set, Andreeva saved herself from a 5-1 collapse and also missed a match point on the Hungarian ace’s serve. Before forcing the third-set tie-breaker, a frustrated Andreeva sat on her chair and yelled at her team: “I’m not a champion. I’m not a champion. I’m going to lose. I’m going to lose.”

Here’s the video

She had squandered two match points, and after ending the match in her favor with a backhand winner, Andreeva broke down in tears after the customary handshake. It was her third consecutive time she knocked out a Hungarian opponent, following Panna Udvardy and Dalma Galfi.

I found myself in a very bad place when it was 5-6 in the third set, after losing five games in a row. Maybe it’s strange to say, but I feel that at that moment it helped me a lot because I was very tough on myself and thought I didn’t want to continue like that. Then I could easily win my service game without losing a point. Still, I wasn’t happy because I felt I should have closed it earlier.

Mirra Andreeva said at the press conference

Andreeva is chasing her third WTA 1000 title. Last year, she won two consecutive titles at this level: the Dubai Tennis Championships by defeating Clara Tauson and the Indian Wells Open against Aryna Sabalenka.

She will next be locking horns with Leylah Fernandez, who went past Ann Li in straight sets. The 18-year-old holds a 1-1 head-to-head tie over the 2021 US Open finalist.

Mirra Andreeva reveals why Madrid is a special place for her

Mirra Andreeva made her WTA 1000 debut at the Madrid Open back in 2023 and reached the fourth round. In the previous two seasons, she lost to eventual runner-up Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinals (2024) and to eventual runner-up Coco Gauff last year. For Andreeva, the Spanish capital is a special place, and she revealed at the press conference why it is so.

Mirra Andreeva (2)
Mirra Andreeva (Image via X/HQ pics)

Madrid is a very special place for me. We have many traditions here; it coincides with my birthday, my father’s, and a few days later, my mother’s, so almost every year we celebrate here. That gives me extra motivation to keep fighting and pushing through the tough moments. I am super happy to have been able to win today, and I will try to give everything I have tomorrow.

This year in the WTA 1000 events, Andreeva suffered third-round exits in Doha and Indian Wells. She lost in the quarterfinals of the Dubai event and the fourth round of the Miami Open.

The Russian ace is the winner of five singles titles, two of which she has lifted on clay (2024 Iasi Open and this year’s Linz Open). She has already played two singles finals this year. Apart from the Linz event, she clinched the Adelaide International title against Victoria Mboko.

If Andreeva reaches the semifinal, she could lock horns with defending champion Sabalenka, who went past fellow four-time Major champion Naomi Osaka to schedule her quarterfinal match against Hailey Baptiste.

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