PARIS, June 2. /TASS/. Russia’s top female racquet Mirra Andreeva reached the quarterfinals of the 2025 French Open after defeating Russia-born Daria Kasatkina from Australia on Monday.
In a match that lasted one hour 34 minutes, the 6th-seeded Andreeva, who participates under a neutral status at the tournament, upended Kasatkina (17th-seed) in straight sets 6-3; 7-5.
In the quarterfinals stage of the Grand Slam tournament in France, Andreeva will now play against unseeded French Lois Boisson, who later in the day took down 3rd-seeded Jessica Pegula of the United States 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.
In a post-match interview Andreeva said speaking about Kasatkina’s play: "She raised her level and I just knew that I had to fight and keep on playing my game."
"Maybe it wasn’t going to work in my second set but I just knew that if I kept believing in myself I would win the third set," the tournament’s official website quoted Andreeva as saying.
Russia’s teen-prodigy Andreeva added: "I’m so happy that I won because I hate playing against her. We practice a lot and even the practices are absolute torture."
She clarified what she meant by "absolute torture," saying: "My coach says that you have to practice with people that you don’t like. That’s why we practice a lot, because I hate her."
"I’m joking, she’s a great person and a great player. I knew that this match of course was going to be tough and I’m just happy to be back in the quarter-finals," Andreeva added.
On March 31, the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) officially changed the national affiliation of Russian-born player Daria Kasatkina, as it went from neutral to Australian. Kasatkina, 28, is currently the 17th-ranked player in the world. She has eight WTA titles in her career. To date, her best result in Grand Slams was in 2022 when she reached the semifinals of the French Open. She was also part of the Russian team that won the 2021 Billie Jean King Cup.
Andreeva, 18, has three WTA titles under her belt. She is Russia's top-ranked female player according to the WTA Rankings (6th). Her best finish at Grand Slams was at the 2024 French Open when she reached the semifinals. In 2023, the WTA named Andreeva the rookie of the year. Playing at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, she won a silver medal in women’s doubles with partner Diana Shnaider.
One of tennis’ four Grand Slam events, the 2025 French Open is taking place in Paris, nicknamed the "City of Light," between May 25 and June 8. The tournament is played on outdoor clay courts at the Stade Roland Garros. Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek from Poland are the tournament’s reigning champions on the men's and women's sides respectively.
Russian players’ neutral status at tennis tournaments
On February 28, 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued recommendations to international sports federations to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from taking part in international tournaments, citing Moscow's special military operation in Ukraine as the reason.
Following the IOC's recommendations in late February 2022, the majority of global sports federations decided to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from all international sports tournaments.
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) ruled on March 1, 2022 to suspend the membership of the Russian and Belarusian national tennis federations while also canceling all previously scheduled tennis tournaments in the two countries.
On March 14, 2022, the ITF also confirmed its prohibition on the Russian and Belarusian national tennis teams from taking part in the 2022 Davis Cup and 2022 Billie Jean King Cup.