Andreeva pushes while Raducanu settles in as both move forward in Rome
Patience is not always a virtue inherent in teenagers.
And Mirra Andreeva, who turned 18 at the end of April, has been in a hurry for all of her short professional life. She was the youngest player to crash the PIF WTA Rankings Top 10 in nearly two decades and recently won back-to-back WTA 1000s. Unapologetically aggressive, Andreeva is third on tour in winners -- but also has struck the most unforced errors.
Ultimately, the No. 7-seeded Andreeva crafted a 6-2 6-4 second-round victory over qualifier Emiliana Arango on Friday at the Internazionali d’Italia. It probably took longer than she would have liked (89 minutes), but it was Andreeva’s first main-draw win in Rome.
“She likes to grind and she puts a lot of balls back in the court,” Andreeva said later of Arango. “For me, I find it not so comfortable -- it’s not like I have a choice. I have to create something on the court.”
A little later, a former teenage phenomenon -- in another testament to patience -- won her first match in the Eternal City. Since winning the 2021 US Open, injuries and illness have been the leading headlines for Emma Raducanu, but she was a tidy 6-2, 6-2 winner over lucky loser Jil Teichmann.
Previously, Raducanu’s only appearance in Rome was a 2022 match that ended in retirement to Bianca Andreescu. She said it was the last time she played a match on outdoor clay -- a period of three years.
Raducanu served well, winning 33 of 52 service points, hit six aces and faced only one break point. It was Raducanu’s third match of the season on clay -- and only the 20th of her entire career.
“I always said I think I had the potential to play really well on clay,” Raducanu said. “I don’t think I’m there yet. But I’m slowly kind of finding my feet. As I use my forehand, use the spins, if the serve improves I’ll be able to be really good on this surface. One benefit I do have is I can play with variation.”
Raducanu originally was scheduled to play No. 21 Ekaterina Alexandrova -- a formidable opponent on clay with semifinal berths earlier this year in Charleston and Stuttgart. But Alexandrova pulled out before the match with a right shoulder injury, replaced by Teichmann, who lost in the last round of qualifying to Hailey Baptiste 7-6 (6), 7-5.
Afterward, Raducanu said she was happy she adjusted so quickly from the prospect of Alexandrova, a right-hander who likes to play quick, to the left-handed “and tricky” Teichmann. Raducanu now plays Veronika Kudermetova, a 7-6 (5), 7-5 winner over Amanda Anisimova, in a third-round match on Sunday.
Andreeva grew up playing on clay more than any other surface. Still, going in she knew the slow red clay favored her opponent because her shots don’t fire as swiftly through the court. This was compounded by Arango, a smooth-swinging, slick-slicing Columbian more than content to play rallies into the double digits.
When Arango broke Andreeva’s serve twice to open the second set, the expression on the face of Andreeva’s coach Conchita Martinez quickly went from bemused to concerned. Eventually, though, Andreeva figured it out.
Andreeva will play No. 30 Linda Noskova in a third-round match on Sunday, a player she’s beaten two of three times. Noskova was a 6-4, 6-4 winner over Sonay Kartal.
“Every time we played it was a very tough battle,” Andreeva said. “She’s also a teenager, very powerful player. It’s a nice matchup and I think it’s going to be entertaining for people.”
Opening up the court with three or four shots instead of the customary one or two, Andreeva would often win the point with a flat, fast backhand -- or take a short ball with a forceful forehand.
The difference could be seen in the crucible of break points: Andreeva converted six of 10, while Arango was three of nine. Andreeva, true to her statistical profile, finished with 28 winners and 31 unforced errors.
Only World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka has more victories (19) in WTA 1000s this year than Andreeva (18).
For someone so young, Andreeva has already developed a very strong urge to win the matches she’s expected to. Arango, ranked No. 97, represented her ninth consecutive victory over a player ranked outside the Top 50; the last loss came to older sister Erika last fall in Wuhan.
Arango is now 0-3 against Top 10 players.
