'Really bad what I did': Mirra Andreeva feared disqualification for 'really stupid move' in loss to Coco Gauff
It wasn't too long ago that Coco Gauff exploded onto the scene as a 15-year-old, defeating Venus Williams at Wimbledon in 2019.
But time marches on and it was Gauff who was the experienced player on court on Saturday as she defeated 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva in a hard-fought battle between two of tennis' most talented teenagers.
The American lost the first set in a tiebreak but rallied to dismantle Andreeva in the next two sets and take a 6-7 (5-7) 6-1 6-1 win to advance to the fourth round of the French Open.
Watch Roland-Garros 2023 from May 28. Every match ad free and on demand. Centre court coverage in 4K UHD on Stan Sport
Andreeva swipes at the ball in frustration. Nine
There were some immature moments from Andreeva, particularly an incident late in the tie-break when she swiped a ball angrily into the crowd.
She earned a code violation but was fortunate she did not hurt a spectator, which could have seen her disqualified.
"Right after I thought that it was a really stupid move from me, because it was not necessary to do that," she said. "It was really bad what I did. I had thoughts like this (a potential default), but he just gave me a warning.
READ MORE: 'Ridiculous': NSW fans blasted for Tedesco criticism
READ MORE: Dragons boss confirms Flanagan discussions
READ MORE: Maroons, Blues sweating after two Origin stars cruelled
Coco Gauff of United States celebrates winning match point against Mirra Andreeva. Getty
"It was a tough first set. We broke each other a lot of times. I was just playing.
"It's not enough to win one set to win a match. I was trying to play but something didn't work out and I got disappointed, upset, and not really was thinking about the match. I was thinking about my mistakes. I went too deep in this."
Gauff said both players were in touch during the opening week at Roland Garros - even getting some practice in together.
Mirra Andreeva returns a ball against Coco Gauff of the United States. Getty
"We practiced together this week, actually," Gauff, still just 19, said afterwards, according to The Guardian. "I don't know if it made a difference in the match – it's all about adjustment, that's tennis.
"Today wasn't going to be an easy match, she deserves to be where she is and go even further."
Andreeva celebrated her 16th birthday in April and became the youngest player to reach the third round at Roland Garros since 2005, according to the WTA.
And for the first 65 minutes of the match, it seemed as if Andreeva might continue her meteoric rise with a shock victory as she pummeled Gauff's weaker forehand side with first serves and won the set's tiebreak.
Despite her age, Gauff has already played in numerous French Open tournaments and reached the final last year. Armed with that experience, she reset, shored up her second serve, and harnessed her powerful backhand to ultimately outmaneuver Andreeva.
Gauff will now face the unseeded Anna Karolina Schmiedlova for a place in the tournament's quarterfinals.
Elsewhere in the women's draw, defending champion and world No.1 Iga Swiatek also reached the fourth round with an emphatic 6-0 6-0 win against China's Wang Xinyu, while world No.4 Elena Rybakina withdrew from the tournament citing an upper respiratory illness.
Roland-Garros 2023 in pictures: 'I didn't think about being the greatest', bizarre Novak Djokovic claim undone by detail in jacket
