French Open 2024: Aryna Sabalenka vs Mirra Andreeva; Preview, Head-to-Head, and Prediction

Is this the day that Mirra Andreeva has been waiting for? Well, at the moment, the 17-year-old has nothing to lose but a lot to gain! She will take on the ‘ferocious’ opponent, Aryna Sabalenka, in the QF of the 2024 French Open on Wednesday (June 5). Sabalenka stormed into her seventh successive major QF by defeating America’s Emma Navarro by 6-2,6-3 in the fourth round. She’s currently 11-0 at the Grand Slam events in 2024. Can Mirra Andreeva pull off an upset and reach the last four of a major tournament for the very first time in her career?

Both the players have been in good form this year. Mirra Andreeva has reached her maiden Grand Slam QF after ending the French hopes in her last match. She defeated her close friend, Varvara Gracheva (France) by 7-5,6-2 in the fourth round. So far, the teenage sensation has dropped only one set in this tournament. However, roaring back at the ‘Tiger‘ is always going to be a daring task, irrespective of the surfaces they step on.

Aryna Sabalenka vs Mirra Andreeva: Preview

Talking about surfaces, Sabalenka has showcased a stellar performance on the clay courts this season. So far in this season, she has won one big title and reached three finals, one QF in her previous appearances this year. In her last match against Navarro, Aryna Sabalenka yet again showcased a dominating performance hitting seven aces without committing a single double fault in the entire match. She won 81% of her first serve and 69% of her second serve against the American tennis star. Sabalenka converted just four out of her ten breakpoints in that match.

Launching aces toward her opponent has been her favorite habit on the court. Aryna Sabalenka has fired 152 aces so far this season and has committed 100 double faults. She has won 78.5% of her service games and 36.5% of her return games. On the other hand, Mirra Andreeva has reached three QFs this season. She defeated Gracheva quite comfortably in her previous match. Andreeva hit five aces and committed three double faults in that match. She won 65% of her first serve and 62% of her second serve against the French.

However, Andreeva could only manage to convert five of her nine breakpoints in that match. If the 17-year-old manages to grab all of her chances against Sabalenka, then she will definitely be able to throw a major challenge towards the world number two.

Mirra Andreeva has hit 46 aces this season and has committed 47 double faults. She has won 65.8% of her service games and 43.5% of her return games. Andreeva has improved a lot in her shot selection, but how well did she perform when she met Sabalenka earlier in the Tour?

Sabalenka vs Andreeva: Head-to-Head

Both the players have met each other twice so far in their careers. It has been a one-sided battle on both occasions. Surprisingly, both the meetings have been at the Madrid Open. In 2023, Aryna Sabalenka defeated her by 6-3,6-1 in the R16 match. A year later, she yet again defeated the Russian youngster by two sets in the QF of the 2024 Madrid Open.

Looking at the numbers from that match, Sabalenka hit two aces and committed one double fault. Mirra Andreeva managed to hit three aces against the Belarusian tennis star, but she committed two double faults. She won 65% of her first serve and 44% of her second serve, whereas Aryna Sabalenka won 79% of her first serve and 65% of her second serve. Saba was 3/5 in her breakpoints, but Andreeva recorded 0/0 in the same against the Belarusian.

Mirra Andreeva heaped praise on the world number two ahead of this enticing clash. She knows Sabalenka brings a lot of experience to the table and she hailed her as a “player of another level“. But can she take her performance to another level against the mighty Aryna Sabalenka?

Prediction: Sabalenka to win in straight sets

Although, Mirra Andreeva is a promising talent, defeating Aryna Sabalenka at the QF of a major tournament won’t be easy for the number 38. Sabalenka currently has a win-loss record of 25-7 this season. Whereas, Andreeva has only managed to get 12-7 so far. Mirra Andreeva is an aggressive baseliner and she can hit powerful groundstrokes. She has a defensive style of play, heavily relying on the unforced errors of her opponents but her wide range of shots may give her some advantage at some points in the game.

But if we look at the overall outcome of this match, then clearly there’s one name that shines brightly as the winner. Aryna Sabalenka’s power game may turn out to be too hot to handle for this teenager. Sabalenka has a powerful serve and equally venomous groundstrokes to unsettle her opponents. Sabalenka reached the semis last year in this tournament.

So, looking at their form this season and overall experience of playing bigger matches, the Belarusian looks clearly ahead of the Russian this time around!