Surprise at the WTA 1000 in Wuhan: Andreeva Falls in Opening Round Against Siegemund
The world number 5 was defeated by the German player as early as the second round in Wuhan.
After a tougher stretch of her season since Wimbledon, Mirra Andreeva was hoping to get back to winning ways at the WTA 1000 in Wuhan. Having a bye in the first round, the 18-year-old Russian player faced Laura Siegemund in a clash of generations.
The German player had benefited from Dayana Yastremska's withdrawal in the first round and thus earned herself a marquee match against one of the tour's best players.
This was the first encounter between the two women on the main tour.
The start of the match was uncertain, and the encounter began with four breaks of serve. Finally, after 1 hour and 9 minutes of play, it was ultimately Andreeva who took the advantage in the tie-break (7 points to 4). Facing a 37-year-old player, the winner of the WTA 1000 events in Dubai and Indian Wells earlier in the season thought she had done the hardest part.
But Siegemund hung in there, starting the set perfectly with an immediate break. Despite the comeback from her young opponent, she went on to win the last three games of the second set to level the match at one set all.
Immediately after, the German, ranked 57th in the world, pulled away with a 3-0 lead in the final set, and this time was never caught. Siegemund creates the upset and wins in three sets (6-7, 6-3, 6-3 in 3 hours of play).
She advances to the round of 16 where she will face either Karolina Muchova or Magdalena Frech. As for Andreeva, it's another disappointment following her loss in the round of 16 against Sonay Kartal in Beijing.
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