Two of the youngest talents in the Top 30, Coco Gauff and Mirra Andreeva, are set to compete in the quarterfinals of the Mutua Madrid Open. This will mark their third career meeting.
Fourth seed Gauff secured her spot in the final eight in Madrid for the first time, overcoming Belinda Bencic with a 6-4, 6-2 victory. This latest match in their developing rivalry sees Gauff now lead the head-to-head record 3-2. The 20-year-old American has now reached the quarterfinal stage at every current WTA 1000 tournament with the exception of Miami.
Shortly after Gauff concluded her match, seventh seed Andreeva also advanced, defeating qualifier Yuliia Starodubtseva 6-1, 6-4 to reach the Madrid quarterfinals for the second consecutive year. Andreeva, who will turn 18 on Tuesday, has already had a remarkable season, claiming two WTA 1000 titles in Dubai and Indian Wells.
Minutes after Gauff`s win, the tournament experienced widespread power outages across Spain, a situation confirmed by the electricity grid operator. The outage occurred while Andreeva was serving for her match, but she demonstrated resilience by saving four break points to secure the win before play was paused across all courts.
The pair`s previous encounters were both in 2023, the season where Andreeva made her significant breakthrough on the Hologic WTA Tour. Both matches took place on Grand Slam stages: Gauff defeated Andreeva 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-1 in the third round of Roland Garros after Andreeva qualified for her first major main draw. Gauff then repeated the result three months later at the US Open, winning 6-3, 6-2 in the second round.
Fast forward two years, and they meet again, but this time as Top 10 players. Andreeva is currently on an impressive five-match winning streak against Top 10 opposition. In contrast, Gauff`s only match against a fellow Top 10 player this year resulted in a loss to Jasmine Paolini in the Stuttgart quarterfinals last week.
Gauff`s Dominant Performance Against Bencic: Gauff and Bencic have met frequently recently, with this being their third match of the season, though their first on clay. Gauff`s victory was relatively straightforward compared to their previous three-set battles. She outplayed Bencic across the board, particularly on serve and return. Gauff generated 14 break point opportunities, converting four, while facing only one herself. She hit 25 winners to Bencic`s 10 and won a high percentage (85%) of points on her first serve.
A key factor was Gauff`s effective targeting of Bencic`s second serve. She hit several return winners, including those leading to breaks in both sets. Bencic struggled significantly when relying on her second delivery, winning only four points on it throughout the match.
Andreeva`s Composure in Madrid: Andreeva displayed a calm and effective performance against Yuliia Starodubtseva, an opponent she hadn`t faced before. Despite Starodubtseva showing her potential with three break points in the opening game and effective drop shots throughout, Andreeva remained steadfast.
Andreeva`s tactical intelligence was evident. She successfully saved all nine break points she faced. In the first set, she maintained consistency, drawing errors from her opponent on crucial points. As the second set became tighter, Andreeva adjusted, becoming more aggressive and creative, countering Starodubtseva`s drop shots with her own well-placed efforts.
