Erika Andreeva got into the inaugural ATX Open main draw at the last minute. Now the 18-year-old is in the second round after winning the longest tour-level main-draw match of the 2023 season.
In a 3-hour and 32-minute match, the lucky loser Andreeva prevailed over Harriet Dart 7-6(4), 3-6, 7-6(3) in the first round in Austin on Tuesday. The World No.135 Andreeva also saved two match points on her serve at 5-3 during a third-set comeback.
Photos: Marathon Marvels 2023: All this year's three-hour matches
The previous longest tour-level main-draw match of the year was Sorana Cirstea's 3-hour and 29-minute victory over Beatriz Haddad Maia in the first round of Dubai last week. Andreeva and Dart's marathon went three minutes longer.
Andreeva had a complicated path to even make it to the main draw. In her first qualifying match, she had to save a match point before she defeated You Xiaodi. Andreeva then lost in the final qualifying round to Ashlyn Krueger.
But after No.2 seed Zhang Shuai withdrew from the tournament due to illness, Andreeva got another chance in Austin when she was slotted against Dart on Tuesday morning as a lucky loser.
Photos: Great Escapes 2023: Winning from match point down
Andreeva made the most of her opportunity, gritting out the first set in 80 minutes after being down a break on four separate occasions.
Dart charged back to win the second set and led 5-3 in the third, where she held a pair of match points. But Andreeva fended those off, eventually taking three of the next four games and the tiebreak to triumph.
It is another strong result for the Andreeva family in 2023. Erika's 15-year-old sister Mirra reached the Australian Open junior singles final in January.
Erika has been a Junior Grand Slam singles finalist as well. She finished runner-up to Linda Noskova at 2021 Roland Garros.
