Mirra Andreeva, 16, thrashes Ons Jabeur to lead Russian Australian Open charge

ROD LAVER ARENA — Mirra Andreeva added a first win over a top-10 player to her burgeoning reputation as she beat Ons Jabeur 6-0 6-2 to reach the Australian Open third round.

The 16-year-old had never played the main draw in Melbourne before this year but reached the junior final 12 months ago, losing a three-setter that lasted more than three hours to fellow Russian Alina Korneeva.

Andreeva reached the fourth round of Wimbledon last summer but had done so without beating a top-10 player and was expected to face a stiff challenge in Jabeur: over the past three seasons, only Iga Swiatek (51) and Aryna Sabalenka (49) have won more grand slam matches than Jabeur (38).

However, the Russian teenager won the first set in just 20 minutes and only needed another 36 to book her place in the third round, where she will face either Kamilla Rakhimova, another Russian, or Diane Parry.

Andreeva played an apparently nerveless match but said afterwards that she had actually been apprehensive about facing Jabeur, one of her heroes.

“I’m really inspired by the way she plays and before I started to play on the WTA Tour, I always watched her matches and I was always so inspired by the way she plays,” Andreeva said afterwards.

Andreeva was the first of seven Russian women trying to make their way into the last 32 of the Australian Open, where rain prevented any of the outside courts getting underway on time and Jabeur vs Andreeva had to be played under the roof of Rod Laver Arena.

And just a few minutes later, another Russian youngster – 20-year-old Maria Timofeeva – also made it through to the third round, beating former champion Caroline Wozniacki 1-6 6-4 6-1.

Timofeeva, playing a grand slam main draw for the first time, won just one game in the opening set but it took 45 minutes, suggesting a far closer match than the scoreline.

And sure enough she rallied to level the match after an hour and 46 minutes, getting stronger as it went on, shortening rallies and unleashing 15 winners in seven games to close out the match.

More to follow...