Russian tennis stars Andreeva and Avanesyan triumph in fourth round of French Open

Mirra Andreeva (No. 38) defeated Peyton Stearns (No. 62) 6-2, 6-2 to advance to the fourth round of the French Open, while her compatriot Elina Avanesyan (No. 70) knocked out the 7th seed Zheng Qinwen (No. 8) in an epic duel 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(6).

The 17-year-old had already shown a year earlier that the Roland Garros courts suit her well, having reached the third round from the qualifiers. This year has brought more success for the Russian, who has already surpassed her 2023 performance with an easy win against Stearns.

In the first set, Andreeva achieved consecutive breaks in the third and fifth games, gaining enough of an advantage to stay ahead. The teenager won 67% of her service points, facing no break points against her.

The second set was a rout as she won the first five games consecutively. Andreeva secured three consecutive breaks, capitalized on her opponent's unforced errors, and outpaced her in speed. Despite leading 5-0 and having a chance to finish with a bagel, Stearns managed a more respectable end by taking a break. However, there was no time for a comeback as Andreeva broke back in the next game and secured the match 6-2, 6-1.

The 21-year-old will play in the fourth round of Roland Garros for the second consecutive year. She faced last Australian Open finalist Zheng Qinwen, who took the first set 6-3 in 37 minutes without much trouble. Zheng struggled with her first serve (only 44%) but managed to outplay her opponent.

In the second set, the Chinese player again started with an advantage and seemed to be heading for an easy day after a break left her 2-0 up. However, Avanesyan began her comeback, winning six of the next seven games to force a third set.

The final part of the match favored the Russian, given Zheng's constant errors. Zheng had 57 unforced errors and 46 winners, compared to Avanesyan's 29 unforced errors and 20 winners. The Russian led 5-2 with serve to close the match, but Zheng managed a comeback, winning four consecutive games before taking it to a 10-point tie-break. Avanesyan ultimately prevailed, closing it out 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(6).