🎾 WTA Madrid: Mirra Andreeva vs Yuliia Starodubtseva – Match Preview
🧠 Form & Context
🇷🇺 Mirra Andreeva
- Madrid Specialist: Reached the fourth round for the third consecutive year at Caja Mágica, still only 17 (turning 18 on Tuesday).
- Clinical Wins: Defeated Marie Bouzkova and Magdalena Frech while dropping only one service game combined.
- Top-10 Surge: Two-time WTA 1000 champion already in 2025 (Dubai, Indian Wells); firmly inside the top 10.
- Consistency vs Lower-Ranked Players: Outstanding 35–3 record against players ranked outside the top 90 since early 2023.
🇺🇦 Yuliia Starodubtseva
- Giant Killer: Five consecutive wins in Madrid, including a comeback from 1-3 down vs Liudmila Samsonova.
- Breakthrough Run: First fourth-round appearance at a WTA 1000 event.
- Physical Toll: Over 11 hours spent on court already, including a marathon three-hour match in qualifying.
- Prior Struggles: Entered Madrid on a 3–16 slump across her last 19 matches.
🔍 Match Breakdown
Andreeva enters fresher, with supreme tactical awareness and smooth offensive-to-defensive transitions perfectly suited to Madrid’s quicker clay. Her heavy topspin and aggressive early ball-striking will test Starodubtseva’s defensive resilience.
Starodubtseva’s physical resilience and fighting spirit have been impressive, but sustaining risk-heavy tactics and high energy against a polished top-10 opponent like Andreeva will be a massive challenge. Fatigue and lack of experience at this stage may start to show quickly.
🔮 Prediction
✔️ Prediction: Mirra Andreeva in straight sets
Expect some initial resistance, but Andreeva’s consistency, sharpness, and court control should eventually wear down a brave but exhausted Starodubtseva.
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