Latest news with #ConchitaMartinez
BBC News
08-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Keep it up!' - Andreeva takes 'revenge' on Martinez
An animated Mirra Andreeva fulfilled her promise to take "revenge" on coach Conchita Martinez by turning cheerleader at her invitational doubles match at took the opportunity to reverse their respective roles and could be heard cheering Martinez on, shouting things like "you'd better win this game" and "keep it up!" after each the intimate setting of court 16, the seventh seed sported a hat decorated with tennis-related pin badges and held a poster reading 'Let's go senorita!' and 'You are golden'.Martinez was playing in the invitational doubles - an exhibition event pitting former professional tennis players against one another - alongside former British number one Greg Rusedski. After Andreeva booked her place in the last eight at the All England Club with victory over American Emma Navarro on Monday, the 18-year-old said she was looking forward to getting her own back on former Wimbledon champion Martinez."I'm already thinking about a poster I will make. I think that's my time to get back at her," she joined forces last season, the two have a clear mutual affection, with Andreeva often teasing Martinez in her post-match said the teenager brings out her "playful" side and the partnership has also been an effective one, with Andreeva rising to a career-high sixth in the rankings and reaching the quarter-finals at Wimbledon for the first will face Switzerland's Belinda Bencic in the last eight on Wednesday.
The Independent
08-07-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Mirra Andreeva focused on Wimbledon prize under Conchita Martinez's watchful eye
Mirra Andreeva's not-so-secret weapon in her Wimbledon title tilt is the former champion sitting in her box. The 18-year-old is on her best run so far at the All England Club having reached the quarter-finals, where she will take on Belinda Bencic on Wednesday. Andreeva has lost more than three games in a set only once this fortnight and was so mentally locked in during her fourth-round victory over Emma Navarro on Monday that she did not realise she had won. It was a funny moment, but a sign to her coach Conchita Martinez of her player's focus, with the Spaniard saying: 'It is very nice to see. 'No matter how or what, she is going for the next point and the next point. That is going to make a huge difference in her game.' Martinez knows very well what it takes to be a Wimbledon champion having lifted the trophy herself in 1994 and then guided Garbine Muguruza to the title eight years ago. The pair first began working together in April last year and the young Russian has already made huge progress, reaching the semi-finals of the French Open, winning two WTA 1000 titles and breaking into the top 10. Martinez believes the success of their partnership is how well they gel on and off court despite the generational gap. 'Her mentality on court – she is very accepting,' said Martinez. 'Sometimes on grass, you are not going to have a perfect match. Sometimes you are going to suffer and you have to give credit to the other player. 'I like her behaviour a lot in that sense. And when she is positive on the court and fighting for every ball, she becomes very dangerous. That is what we are seeing this week. 'It is very important to have a good chemistry together. And this happened from the moment we knew each other. 'She is a very nice girl, very thoughtful, so it is very pleasant to work with someone who is thankful and thoughtful about the team. Off the court, she smiles a lot, we can play cards, we can laugh about different things. 'That is very nice. And on the court, I like it that she is still very young and still has a lot of things to get better at so it makes it fun for me to work on these things.' Former British number one Greg Rusedski is teaming up with Martinez in the mixed invitation doubles, and he is not surprised to see the partnership flourishing. He said of Martinez: 'She understands the game. She knows pressure. She knows expectation. And she has that patience. We saw in Paris, they had a little bit of an argument in the match that she lost but that is the respect they have for each other. 'Sometimes you need to know when to have friction and when to have calmness. With Andreeva this year, she has shown us a lot of beautiful variety. She has come through two very difficult matches convincingly. 'She is the dark horse for the title right now. When you have someone who has won the title coaching you, that is a big plus.'
ABC News
08-07-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Starstruck Mirra Andreeva didn't realise she won match point at Wimbledon
Mirra Andreeva was the last person on Centre Court to realise she beat Emma Navarro, a result that made her the youngest woman in 18 years to reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals. Andreeva was so focused on not thinking about the score — and avoiding looking at Roger Federer — that the 18-year-old Russian did not realise the fourth-round match was over when Navarro netted a forehand. So instead of celebrating a 6-2, 6-3 win, the seventh-seeded Andreeva calmly turned back to her baseline and started fiddling with her racket, seemingly getting ready for the next point. It wasn't until she noticed the reaction from the crowd — and coach Conchita Martinez — that it dawned on her she won. "Honestly, I just kept telling myself that I'm facing break points. I tried to tell myself that I'm not the one who is up on the score, I'm the one who is down," Andreeva said in an on-court interview. "In the end I completely forgot the score. I'm happy that I did it because I think that [otherwise] I would be three times more nervous on the match point." Andreeva became the youngest player since Nicole Vaidisova in 2007 to reach the women's quarterfinals at the grass-court grand slam. The score was not the only thing Andreeva tried to ignore. She was also afraid to look up at the Royal Box, where eight-time Wimbledon champion Federer was sitting with his wife Mirka. "I really tried my best not to look over there in the box, because I knew that as soon as I would look there I would just completely lose my focus," she said, before addressing the couple directly. "Honestly, it means a lot to me that you came and watched my match. It's been one of my dreams to see you in real life. So when I saw both of you I got really, really nervous." The 10th-seeded Navarro had beaten defending champion Barbora Krejcikova in the previous round, ensuring there would be yet another first-time champion. It will be the ninth different women's champion in the past nine Wimbledons. Serena Williams was the last repeat champ in 2016. Andreeva will next face Belinda Bencic, who also reached her first Wimbledon quarterfinal — 11 years after making her debut at the All England Club. Bencic beat 18th-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 earlier on number one court. Bencic, who lost in the fourth round on three previous occasions, failed to convert five match points while serving at 5-3 in the second set. But on the sixth one, Alexandrova sent a forehand long. "For you guys it was entertaining," Bencic said about that marathon game at 5-3, where Alexandrova finally converted her fourth break point to stay in the match. "For me it was a big stress." Bencic's best result at a grand slam was reaching the semifinals at the 2019 US Open, where she also reached the quarters on two other occasions. The Tokyo Olympic champion, playing at Wimbledon for the ninth time, had not been into the last eight at any of the other three majors, until now. Bencic missed last year's grass court grand slam tournament while she was on maternity leave, having given birth to her first child — a daughter named Bella — in April 2024. She said travelling with a child on tour was still relatively easy, with Bella being so young, but that she was spending a lot more time taking pictures when she's at tournaments. "I'm juggling it like every mum does," Bencic said. "So, props to the mums." Also, 19th seed Liudmila Samsonova reached her first grand slam quarterfinal by beating Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 7-5, 7-5 on number two court. Samsonova has yet to drop a set this tournament and will face former world number one Iga Swiatek, who reached her second Wimbledon quarterfinal by beating Clara Tauson 6-4, 6-1. AP
The Guardian
07-07-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Mirra Andreeva flies into quarter-finals with straight-sets win over Navarro
If being a fast learner is a prerequisite for a potential champion, Mirra Andreeva fits the bill perfectly. Beaten in the first round here a year ago, the 18-year-old Russian defeated Emma Navarro 6-2, 6-3 on Monday to reach the quarter-finals at Wimbledon for the first time, with the promise of much more to come. Taking the ball early to deny the American time, she changed the pace, as she loves to do, and manoeuvred her opponent into uncomfortable positions from which mistakes flowed. Andreeva is the youngest player to reach this stage at Wimbledon since the Czech Nicole Vaidisova in 2007 and on her Centre Court debut, with Roger Federer watching from the Royal Box, she was so much in the moment that she didn't even realise she had won. 'It's something crazy,' said Andreeva, who will now play Belinda Bencic, the Swiss who also reached her first Wimbledon quarter-final, having become a mother in April last year. 'I was super-nervous, playing first time on Centre Court. I really tried my best not to look in the box because I knew that I would lose focus, as I did at 4-1 [in the second set], [when] I saw Roger and Mirka [his wife]. It's been one of my dreams to see you in real life, so when I saw both of you I got really, really nervous. But I'm super-happy I managed to stay focused.' The great thing about young players is that they seem to improve almost week on week, improvements in their game appearing from one tournament to another. Coached by Conchita Martínez, the 1994 singles champion, Andreeva has been tipped for the top for a while but has really hit her stride this year, winning the Masters 1000 title in Indian Wells. Her serve has also become a real weapon. She dropped only two points on first serve in the opening set, giving her the platform to show off her full game, from drop shots and angles to power and lobs. Tennis IQ, they call it. She was 5-1 up before Navarro knew what had hit her and she closed it out two games later. A brilliant point, which ended with a flicked forehand pass, gave Andreeva the break in the opening game of the second set and though Navarro broke back immediately, the Russian broke twice more to open up a 4-1 lead. The American nabbed one of the breaks back but Andreeva then broke to love for victory, even if she didn't know it at first. 'I just kept telling myself I'm facing break points, tried to tell myself I'm not the one who's up in the score,' she said. 'I think that helped me to stay focused and in the end I completely forgot the score. I'm happy I did it because I think I would be three times more nervous on a match point.' Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion It is a little over 14 months since Bencic gave birth to her daughter and on Monday the Swiss beat the No 18 seed, Ekaterina Alexandrova, 7-6 (4), 6-4. It is her fourth major quarter‑final in all but first since 2021 and her first away from the US Open. 'Finally I managed to do the next step to go to the quarter-finals,' Bencic said. 'I think it's just really a result of the work we put in and also the mindset that I have now. Of course, you could see I'm trying my best to win. I'm fighting with everything I have on the court. I still want to win very badly. It's much different now and I am surprised, but of course I'm not going to complain about it.' Liudmila Samsonova will also play in her first Wimbledon quarter-final after beating Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 7-5, 7-5. The Spaniard had a set point at 5-4 in the opener but Samsonova, the 19th seed, came through.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Mirra Andreeva oblivious to the fact she'd won after swatting aside Emma Navarro
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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement '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. Mirra Andreeva practising with coach Conchita Martinez (John Walton/PA) 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. Advertisement '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. Advertisement 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. Belinda Bencic celebrates victory against Ekaterina Alexandrova (Ben Whitley/PA) '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.' Advertisement 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.' Advertisement Russian world number 19 Liudmila Samsonova awaits Swiatek after she beat unseeded 22-year-old Spaniard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 7-5 7-5.
