Russian tennis star Mirra Andreeva overcame a foul odor and a crisis of confidence to reach her third consecutive Mutua Madrid Open quarter-final. The 18-year-old, seeded No. 9, defeated Hungary's Anna Bondar 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-6(5) on Monday at Caja Magica. She will now face Canada's Leylah Fernandez for a spot in the semi-finals.
Complaint about odor during match
During the second set, with Andreeva serving at 2-2 and 40-40, she could be heard complaining to umpire Jennifer Zhang about a strong smell coming from behind her baseline. According to the Tennis Channel broadcast, Andreeva said: 'It literally smells like bull**** over there. Like very bad.' When Zhang asked if the odor was coming from behind, Andreeva confirmed, 'Yeah, like very bad.'
The incident quickly went viral on social media, with fans and commentators amused by the unusual on-court complaint.
Confidence questioned after lead slips
Despite the distraction, Andreeva initially took control of the match. However, she lost a 5-1 lead in the deciding set and trailed Bondar 6-5. During a change of ends, she told her team, which included coach Conchita Martinez: 'I'm not a champion. I'm not a champion. I will lose. I will lose. I choke.' She added, 'I don't want anything,' indicating she did not want reassurance.
Andreeva managed to hold serve to force a tiebreak, which she won 7-5 after playing more aggressively from behind. She appeared visibly relieved after shaking hands with Bondar.
Post-match reflection
Speaking to reporters after the match, Andreeva admitted she had been holding in a lot of emotion. 'I was trying to be very pumped in the third set, and I felt I was playing pretty good. Then after, being 5-1 up, I just felt a little bit nervous for some reason, even though I feel I should just have more confidence that I'm up on the score,' she said, per WTA. 'I felt she started playing more consistent. I started missing a lot, not really going for my shots, not playing aggressive. All of that led to the tiebreak, and at the end, I just got relieved when all of that finished.'
Next opponent: Leylah Fernandez
In the quarter-finals, Andreeva will face No. 24 seed Leylah Fernandez of Canada, who defeated American Ann Li 6-3, 6-2 in straight sets. The match is scheduled for Tuesday.
