The China Mail - Gauff tells Andreeva she'll learn from 'stupid' French Open petulance

World number six Gauff, the runner-up to Iga Swiatek in 2022, won 6-7 (5/7), 6-1, 6-1 against her 143rd-ranked opponent who came through qualifying and was the youngest player to make the third round since 2005.

However, Andreeva was fortunate not to have been defaulted when she angrily hit the ball into the packed crowd on Suzanne Lenglen Court during the first set tiebreak.

The umpire instead opted for a code violation but she admitted she feared a default was on its way.

"Right after I thought that it was a really stupid move from me, because it was not necessary to do that," admitted a crestfallen Andreeva.

"It was really bad what I did. Yes, I had thoughts like this (that she would be defaulted), but he just gave me a warning."

As the match slipped away, the young Russian also hammered her racquet into the ground in frustration.

However, Gauff, 19, who will face Anna Karolina Schmiedlova of Slovakia for a place in the quarter-finals, leapt to the defence of Andreeva.

"The ball thing, I guess maybe keep that in control," she advised her rival.

"But the banging of the racquets and all that, you shouldn't do it, but it's part of growing up and part of life.

"So I'm not going to sit here and berate her for it. I'm not going to sit here and act like I was on a pedestal because I've acted bad plenty of times."

Gauff was fined $7,000 for breaking a racquet in a quarter-final defeat by eventual champion Barbora Krejcikova in Paris in 2021.

- Wimbledon visa worry -

"Mirra, what happened today, I think she's going learn from it," added the American.

Andreeva hopes Wimbledon will be her next tournament but revealed she is still waiting on visa approval to enter the United Kingdom.

Whether the delay is related to her Russian nationality is unclear.

"I don't know anything. I just know what my team tells me, what my parents tell me. So if you want like to know some stuff about it, you could ask just them," said Andreeva who has yet to play on a grass court.

Andreeva led 3-1 and 4-2 in the opening set on Saturday but was twice pinned back by the American. Gauff then served for the set in the 10th game but her fifth double fault allowed the Russian to level.

Andreeva took the set on a tiebreak after an hour with a sweeping, running forehand.

Gauff was comfortably the more aggressive and composed player in the second set, stretching out to a 5-1 lead on the back of a double break on her way to levelling the tie.

The American secured it in style with her first ace of the contest.

She also slashed her unforced error count to just three in the set compared to Andreeva's 11.

Gauff maintained her dominance in the decider as Andreeva finally ran out of steam after a sixth match in Paris.

"Mirra is super young and has a big future," said Gauff.

"I remember I played here when I was 16 so she has a lot to look forward to. I'm sure you'll see a lot more matches between us."

Gauff said that despite her first set problems, she was confident she could pull through.

"I was a little undisciplined in the tiebreak but I knew what the game plan was so I just tried to execute that in the second and third sets.

"But Mirra proved she belongs where she is and deserves to go far."

S.Wilson--ThChM