Mirra Andreeva harnesses Beijing’s fire for cool victory

On a warm afternoon in Beijing, Mirra Andreeva glided across the hard courts with the calm of a player who thrives on the edge of expectation. The stands buzzed with chants of ‘Little spicy Mirra,' a affectionate moniker from the Chinese crowd that wrapped the air in electric warmth. She channeled it all into a 6-4, 6-1 dismantling of Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, wrapping the third-round clash in just 92 minutes to claim her second straight China Open fourth-round spot. Bouzas Maneiro pounced early, breaking for a 2-1 lead with a sharp crosscourt forehand that caught the baseline. Andreeva responded swiftly, leveling in the next game with a deep return that forced a mishit, her groundstrokes gathering steam as the crowd’s energy swelled. She then broke at love, redirecting pace with an inside-out forehand that pinned her opponent deep, securing the first set amid the rising tempo of baseline exchanges.

Second set unleashes relentless surge

The second frame began with exchanged holds, Bouzas Maneiro’s serve finding occasional bite on the outdoor surface. But inconsistency crept in, her unforced errors mounting to 54 against Andreeva’s crisp 25, as if the heat and pressure amplified every hesitation. Andreeva exploited it, stepping forward to unleash a one–two punch—a flat backhand down the line followed by an aggressive forehand return—that broke serve and ignited five straight games to close the match. The final point arrived with Bouzas Maneiro’s shot drifting long, Andreeva’s gaze steady as she notched her first career win over the Spaniard, conceding just one break and firing a single ace. This performance, laced with tactical redirects and underspin slices to disrupt rhythm, highlighted her adaptation to the court’s pace, where low skids rewarded precision over raw power.

Round of 16 ready 👊

Mirra Andreeva

beats Bouzas Maneiro 6-4, 6-1 to secure a spot in the next round.#2025ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/dtKFOaeu3k — wta (@WTA) September 29, 2025

Crowd energy fuels tactical poise

Andreeva’s serve anchored the effort, claiming 69 percent of first-serve points in line with her season average of 68.4 percent, which ranks 11th among players with at least 40 matches this year. She varied deliveries, slicing wide to the deuce side before targeting the body, keeping Bouzas Maneiro off balance on returns. The hard courts amplified her aggression, turning potential vulnerabilities into opportunities as she converted breakpoints with the same resolve that defined her early breaks. This victory extends a season of calculated risks, her movement fluid under the sun as she absorbed the crowd’s roar like fuel for her returns. Beijing’s atmosphere, alive with support, sharpened her focus rather than fraying it, a dynamic that echoes through the tournament’s Scores, Draws, and Order of play.

Milestones mark prodigious ascent

The win pushes Andreeva’s WTA 1000 triumphs to 38 before turning 19, equaling Venus Williams for the most since the format began in 1990. Her 40 WTA-level victories in 2025 alone revive echoes of Belinda Bencic, the last to reach that threshold so young, underscoring a trajectory built on mental steel and strategic depth. Breakpoint conversions stand at 126 in WTA 1000 events this year, third behind Iga Swiatek‘s 140 and Coco Gauff‘s 133, a stat that reveals her knack for seizing moments on pressure-packed points. Facing Britain’s Sonay Kartal in the round of 16, Andreeva carries this momentum into a matchup demanding further adjustments—perhaps more drop shots to counter steady baseline play. Yet her cool amid Beijing’s fervor suggests readiness, the numbers and narrative converging to propel her deeper, where each rally sharpens the edge of a rising star.