Russian tennis star Mirra Andreeva has advanced to the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 tournament in Rome. The 19-year-old, seeded eighth, defeated Belgium’s Elise Mertens, world No. 22, in straight sets 6:3, 6:3 during the fourth round.
Andreeva’s next opponent will be American Coco Gauff, currently ranked fourth in the WTA standings.
This marks the second consecutive year Andreeva has reached the quarterfinals in Rome. At the previous WTA 1000 event in Madrid, the Russian made it to the final but fell to Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk.
Andreeva is currently ranked seventh in the world, making her the highest-ranked Russian player. She has won five WTA singles titles throughout her career.
The Rome tournament, which offers a prize pool of €7.22 million, is set to conclude on May 16. It is classified as a WTA 1000 event, placing it just below the Grand Slams and the WTA Finals in prestige.
