Mirra Andreeva is not to be denied as the 16-year-old marching on at the 2023 China Open in Beijing, but can she overcome fellow Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova?
Andreeva had to play the qualifiers to book a spot in the main draw of the China Open, and she did that comfortably. Her 1st round match also proved no issues, even though she was taking on experienced Barbora Krejcikova.
Next up is compatriot Anastasia Pavlychenkova, who should finally be a proper test for the youngster, so can she do it again? Can she once again overcome a much-experienced player who brings a lot of power to each rally?
Well, there is a lot of optimism regarding that because Andreeva proved herself quite adept at forcing her opponents into uncomfortable situations. If there is one thing we know about Pavlyuchenkova, it's the way she'll play - attacking.
Head-to-head:
Attacking play can work really well in Beijing, but Andreeva has proven herself to be quite good at countering that style of play. They never played before on the WTA Tour, so that's a bonus for Andreeva, who could surprise her compatriot with the way she plays.
Prediction:
How likely is it that Andreeva will win this matchup? Well, it's about as equally likely that she'll lose it. Much will depend on her opponent because be assured that Pavlyuchenkova will be the player who will take on the initiative in most rallies.
She will try to finish off points on her own terms, and she'll succeed in that quite often. Whether she actually wins enough of those to win the match remains to be seen because Andreeva will make it tough for her. After all, Andreeva is not favoured for no reason.
She'll get it done because the conditions will allow her to extend the rallies enough to frustrate Pavlyuchenkova.
Prediction: Mirra Andreeva to win in two sets.
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