A day after advancing through French Open qualifying and securing her spot in the first major main draw of her career, 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva was approached by a familiar face on the grounds at Roland Garros.
“Hi, I’m Coco,” the woman said. “I don’t think we’ve ever met before but congratulations.”
Andreeva later laughed about the interaction with Coco Gauff — the 2022 French Open runner-up who needed no introduction — during an interview on the Tennis Channel, but she was clearly thrilled. The two even practiced together that day, trading serves and backhands in front of a sparse group of fans on an outer court. Andreeva was impressed by how nice Gauff was, in addition to her speed and aggressive playing style. Afterward, Gauff called her a “great player.”
Since bursting onto the scene last month at Madrid behind stunning victories and endearing interviews, Andreeva has increasingly become a player to watch. And on Saturday, she’ll have the biggest chance of her young career to prove she’s the real deal, with a third-round clash against Gauff.
It’s perhaps the most compelling first-week match in Paris.
Just three years separate Gauff and Andreeva, and while their long-term potential and promise might be comparable, they are currently on the opposite end of the tennis spectrum. Gauff is a top-10 player with three WTA singles titles and a Grand Slam final appearance. Andreeva made her WTA main draw debut last month at Madrid and currently holds a career-high ranking of No. 143. But now they will square off, eyeing the same second-week spot at Roland Garros in what could be a preview of one of the big rivalries in the sport’s future.
“Obviously she’s young, but I don’t see age as a factor, to be honest,” Gauff said on Thursday. “You have to play her as you would play any other person that’s grown and strong. Obviously she’s proved her position here, and I’m going to try to do my best against her.”
While Gauff was born in Atlanta and resides in South Florida, and Andreeva originally hails from Siberia, there are certainly parallels in their stories and meteoric rises. Both are open about their desire to win Grand Slam titles. (Andreeva said her dream was 25 of them, to be exact.)
The 19-year-old Gauff became a household name at Wimbledon in 2019, when she came through qualifying to defeat Venus Williams in the opening round, then went on a Cinderella run to the fourth round. Her matches became must-see events, as were her delightful…
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