Mirra Andreeva oblivious to the fact she'd won after swatting aside Emma Navarro

Irish Examiner

5 hours ago

Mirra Andreeva's stunning Centre Court debut ended in bizarre fashion when she forgot the score and did not realise she had won the match.
The Russian teenager became the youngest woman to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals in 18 years by breezing through round four with a rapid 6-2 6-3 win over world number 10 Emma Navarro.
But an unaware Andreeva was so focused on her performance – and trying not to look at Roger Federer in the Royal Box – she lined up to face another Navarro serve, rather than celebrate converting match point.
With her American opponent waiting at the net to shake hands, the 18-year-old briefly looked bemused before jogging in from the baseline, to the amusement of spectators.
Andreeva laughed off the incident in her on-court interview, saying: 'I kept telling myself I'm not the one who is up on the score, I am the one who is down.
'That helped me to stay focused and in the end I completely forgot the score.
'I'm happy that I did it because I think I would have been three times more nervous on a match point.'
Aside from the humorous mix-up, Andreeva suffered no hiccups as she emphatically stayed on course to emulate coach Conchita Martinez – the 1994 Wimbledon champion.
She blitzed Navarro to clinch the opening set in just 33 minutes and, despite being broken twice in the second, was not unduly troubled.
Aged 18 years and 75 days, Andreeva is exactly the same age as Czech player Nicole Vaidisova was when she progressed to the last eight in 2007.
'It is something crazy,' she said, after setting up a meeting with Belinda Bencic with victory in 75 minutes.
'I was super nervous before playing for the first time on Centre Court.
'I really tried my best not to look over there in the box because I knew as soon as I would look there I would completely lose my focus.
'I saw Roger and (his wife) Mirka and it means a lot that you came and watched my match. It has been one of my dreams to see you in real life.'
Earlier, Bencic blew five match points on her own serve before bouncing back to reach the quarter-finals for the first time.
The 2021 Olympic champion also saved three break points in a captivating ninth game of the second set against Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Russian 18th seed Alexandrova eventually broke to prolong the Court One contest but Bencic responded immediately to progress 7-6 (4) 6-4.
'For you guys it was entertaining but for me it was a big stress,' Bencic said on court. 'It was a difficult moment.
'I always got stuck in the fourth round. It was so important for me to breakthrough to the quarter-finals. It's a dream come true.'
Bencic's best run in SW19 comes after she missed last year's Championships due to the birth of daughter Bella in April 2024.
'We did an amazing job coming back,' said the 28-year-old Swiss player.
'It's amazing to share the memories together as a family. I'm enjoying it more. I juggle it like every mum does.'
Five-time grand slam champion Iga Swiatek cruised through to her second Wimbledon quarter-final.
The Polish world number four began with successive double faults before defeating Danish 23rd seed Clara Tauson 6-4 6-1.
'Even though the beginning was pretty shaky with the double faults, I managed to play well and solid,' she said.
'I'm not sure if Clara felt well, she said at night she was sick so hopefully she's going to have a fast recovery.
'It's the first time I enjoyed London – sorry guys, I always loved it! We're tennis players. We feel well off the court when we feel well on the court.
'This year I feel I can just play my game and hopefully it's going to last as long as possible.'
Russian world number 19 Liudmila Samsonova awaits Swiatek after she beat unseeded 22-year-old Spaniard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 7-5 7-5.