World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka ended an incredible journey of the 16-year-old prodigy Mirra Andreeva at the 2023 Madrid Open.
The 16-year-old Russian, who celebrated her birthday during the tournament, has been on a 16-match winning streak before the fourth round at the 2023 Madrid Open, but that's where she endured the most difficult test.
Although, Andreeva revealed that she was feeling no pressure ahead of the match, facing the most recent Grand Slam champion and current WTA Race winner, who dominates one opponent after another recently, was always going to be a challenge for the teenager.
Naturally, the two never met before and so their fourth-round meeting at the WTA 1000 event in Madrid was their first. And although Andreeva was broken already in the first game, she showed that she isn't afraid and immediately broke back.
The Russian even had a chance to go into a one-break lead, but that's when Sabalenka started showing her experience and undeniable qualities. The Belarusian broke again and this time, she confirmed the break of serve with a hold to lead 4-2.
Although the 16-year-old was doing her best to comeback, she had no time to respond after Sabalenka broke yet again to win the first set 6-3.
The second set was marked by Sabalenka's improved serving and dominance on her service games. She lost only three points when serving and that gave her a lot of room to attack on the return.
That proved to be the deciding factor as the Belarusian broke her opponent's serve twice and after an hour and 13 minutes, she ended Andreeva's sensational journey at the 2023 Madrid Open with a 6-3, 6-1 victory.
Up next, the second seed will want to focus on her quarterfinal match and it will be a tricky one as she won't be facing a seeded player, but Mayar Sherif from Egypt, who is having the best tournament of her career.
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