Photo Credit: André Ferreira
Mirra Andreeva, the youngest player at the Wimbledon tournament this year for both men and women, lost to Madison Keys in the round of 16 this afternoon.
✨ a debut to remember ✨
Mirra Andreeva rolls into the last 16 of a Grand Slam for the first time while only playing in her second-ever Grand Slam!#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/387sCx9TTc
— wta (@WTA) July 9, 2023
Andreeva seemingly dominated the match but things took a turn when she was given a point penalty for throwing her racket. At 2-5 in the final set, when Keys pushed the game to deuce, Andreeva seemed to repeat her action of throwing the racket, resulting in a second warning and an automatic point penalty. This penalty granted her opponent a match point. According to Andreeva, she had slipped and lost her footing, releasing her racquet in the process. This was also the first time in her tennis career that Andreeva played on grass.
Mirra Andreeva got a point penalty that gave match point to Keys
She plead with the umpire that she fell & slipped.
Looking at this, she clearly lost her footing.
She released the racquet, but I think the umpire could’ve let this one slide
Sad ending.
https://t.co/CZv5M0nlXW— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) July 10, 2023
Andreeva disputed her case with Azemar Engzell, expressing, “Do you comprehend the situation? I didn’t throw the racket. I slipped. This decision is incorrect. I slid and then I fell.”
However, the ruling remained unchanged, and Keys went on to win the following point, securing a 3-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 triumph. Andreeva approached the net to shake hands with her opponent but walked straight past the umpire.
On Saturday, 8 July, 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva had defeated current Women’s Tennis Associations (WTA) 23 tennis player, Anastasia Potapova, to move on to the fourth round of the Wimbledon tournament.
In her second-ever Grand Slam, Andreeva become the 2nd player under 17 to qualify for the 4th round at Wimbledon, since 2000.