Andreeva rallies past Bondar in thriller, sets Fernandez showdown in Madrid

Ninth-seeded Mirra Andreeva has reached the quarterfinals of the Mutua Madrid Open for the third year in a row after a dramatic third-set tiebreak win over Hungary's Anna Bondar that left her in tears of relief. She will next meet 24th-seeded Leylah Fernandez for a place in the semifinals.

Andreeva struck the first blow of the match to break for a 6-5 lead in a close first set. However, Bondar, who had won their only previous meeting on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz (Lausanne 2023), broke right back and claimed the first set 7-5 in a tiebreak.

In the second, Andreeva once again got the first break in the sixth game to lead 4-2. This time, she held on to claim the set 6-3 and force a decider. Andreeva broke twice early in the deciding set to build a commanding 5-1 lead. However, Bondar fought back to level the match at 5-5.

After both players held serve to force a final-set tiebreak, Andreeva jumped to a 3-0 lead. Bondar once again battled back to level at 4-4 before Andreeva was able to win it 7-5 and close out the 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 victory in 2 hours, 53 minutes.

The win makes her the youngest player to reach three consecutive quarterfinals at a single Tier I/WTA 1000 event since Martina Hingis in Miami (1997 to 1999). It is also Andreeva's 12th main-draw victory in Madrid, her highest tally at any WTA-level event, and her 10th clay-court win of the season, the most by any player in 2026.

Fernandez breathes her way into the last eight

Earlier in the day, Fernandez scored a comfortable 6-3, 6-2 win over 31st-seeded Ann Li to advance to the quarterfinals in Madrid for the first time in her career. It was the Canadian's first win over Li in three career meetings, avenging losses in Madrid last year and in Doha earlier this year.

The Canadian, only the second from her country to make the last eight in Madrid, has equaled her best career result at a WTA 1000 event. She also reached the quarterfinals in Guadalajara in 2023, Doha in 2024 and Cincinnati in 2024.

“We've been working hard,” Fernandez told the media after her win. “To see the results coming in feels good and the way that I'm doing it with calm and positivity, it's the right way.”

The left-hander also emphasized the importance of breathwork for keeping her clam during matches on court. “Over the years, we've always said that breathing is very important and I've kind of been doing it but with my mentor coach and even with my boyfriend,” she added. “We said why not put a bigger emphasis on it and that has definitely helped in calming the nerves the thoughts and everything. So breathing has worked tremendously.”

Andreeva and Fernandez have split their two previous meetings, both of which came in 2023. Andreeva won in straight sets in the first round in Madrid, while Fernandez scored a three-set win in the second round in Hong Kong.