Despite ‘love-hate relationship’ on clay, Andreeva moves on in Madrid

Mirra Andreeva could also be a Roland Garros semifinalist, a dependable fixture in the second week of the Mutua Madrid Open and a two-time WTA titlist on clay, however she nonetheless has a “love/hate relationship” with the floor — as she revealed after defeating qualifier Dalma Galfi 6-3, 6-2 on Saturday.

Madrid: Scores | Draws | Order of play

“I don’t mind clay, but I was just complaining to [Diana Shnaider] on the court that she said ‘you’re whole tank top is dirty,’ Andreeva said to press after her singles and doubles win, partnered with Shnaider. “I simply haven’t got sufficient garments with me to, each time, give it to laundry.

“Tonight I have a washing day because I have two tank tops left, and I need to catch up a little bit. I don’t mind playing on clay, it’s one of my favorite surfaces, but that’s the downside of that.”

As Andreeva acknowledged, although, she’s “playing not bad” on clay for the time being. Her defeat of Galfi put her into the Madrid final 16 for a fourth straight yr, and prolonged her clay file in 2026 to 9-1. Although the competition wasn’t so simple as the scoreline suggests — she wanted to come back from an early break down in each units, and all however one recreation of the second set went to deuce — it confirmed off {the teenager}’s pure affinity for clay-court tennis.

“Clay is such a special surface,” she stated in her on-court interview. “You really have to adjust your game.”

That was particularly the case in opposition to No. 117-ranked Galfi, who blended finely-cut drop photographs with injections of giant tempo on his forehand aspect, and infrequently gave Andreeva a have a look at the identical tempo for 2 balls operating. But Andreeva is a stellar exponent of an identical type, and her problem-solving talents finally proved superior.

In the primary set, Andreeva’s comeback from 2-0 down was anchored by excellent serving — she conceded simply two additional factors behind her supply as she swept by six of the subsequent seven video games. The second set was a tussle all the way in which, although, that includes a lot of sensible all-court exchanges in which each gamers sought to out-manoeuvre one another.

Galfi discovered a pair of terrific forehand winners to interrupt for 2-1, however for the remainder of the set Andreeva discovered success by luring the Hungarian into over-pressing. The final 5 video games of the match all went to no less than one deuce — there have been 9 in whole throughout them — and Andreeva received every of them on a mixtake by Galfi, who racked up 47 unforced errors in whole.

“A lot of games we were fighting and we had a lot of ups and downs, a lot of advantages for both of us,” Andreeva informed press. “I’m happy that I was able to close the match.”

Andreeva will bid to succeed in her third straight Madrid quarterfinal in opposition to a 3rd straight Hungarian opponent. Anna Bondar booked her place in a WTA 1000 fourth spherical for the primary time with a 7-6(3), 6-1 defeat of 18-year-old wild card Laura Samson, and can go into her assembly with Andreeva with the head-to-head benefit. Their solely earlier assembly was in the 2023 Lausanne second spherical, which Bondar received 7-6(3), 6-3.