Ahead of her China Open fourth-round match with Magda Linette, Mirra Andreeva knew what was on the line, a Top 20 debut at the age of only 17 years old.
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's Coco to Martina Trevisan's Brando, the Hologic WTA Tour is full of touring dogs living their best lives at the moment. But even though she's earned the chance to add to their ranks, Andreeva isn't rushing into anything.
"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.
