Mirra Andreeva's Top 20 milestone comes with a promise of a new companion
Ahead of her China Open fourth-round match with Magda Linette
Beijing: Scores | Order of Play | Draws
From the outside, it seemed as though Andreeva was unaffected as she swept past Linette 6-1, 6-3 to reach her fourth quarterfinal this season-- all at WTA 1000 level or above. The teenager will become the youngest player to be ranked inside the Top 20 since 17-year-old Nicole Vaidisova in October 2006 and the youngest to crack the Top 20 for the first time since Vaidisova in October 2005.
Afterward,, Andreeva conceded she had a "double motivation" for hitting this milestone -- and she'd nearly choked it away.
"I didn't think about it, [then] when the score was 6-1, 3-1, I remembered," she said. "Then I got tight and I lost my serve. I was so tight. Those thoughts almost destroyed me in the match. In the end I managed not to think about it and just concentrate on my game, but I was this close to losing it."
Reaching the Top 20 had been a "small, little goal" for 2024 that Andreeva had set in her own head at the start of the year. But her mother, Raisa, dangled another carrot before her.
"I've always wanted a dog," she said. "I've never had any pets. And my mum told me, 'Well, if you're Top 20 I might be able to get you a dog.' I now have the chance to buy a dog whenever I want!"
From Bianca Andreescu
"I think I will not buy a dog right away," she said. "I want to buy a dog when I am super confident that I will be able to give everything I can to the dog, because it's like a little child. Now, it's a bit complicated. I need to get more mature so I can take care of my dog."
For now, Andreeva has to take care of business in Beijing -- next up, a quarterfinal date with home hero and No.5 seed Zheng Qinwen.
