Coco Gauff and Mirra Andreeva, the two youngest players ranked within the WTA Top 30, are scheduled to compete against each other for the third time in the quarterfinals of the Mutua Madrid Open.
Fourth seed Gauff secured her place in the Madrid quarterfinals for the first time in her career by overcoming Belinda Bencic with a straightforward 6-4, 6-2 victory. At just 20 years old, the American has now reached the last eight at every current WTA 1000 tournament except Miami.
Immediately following Gauff`s win, seventh seed Andreeva also advanced to the quarterfinals for the second consecutive year. She defeated qualifier Yuliia Starodubtseva 6-1, 6-4. Andreeva has already claimed two WTA 1000 titles this season, winning in Dubai and Indian Wells, and is set to celebrate her 18th birthday on Tuesday.
Moments after Gauff clinched her match point, the tournament experienced a widespread power outage across Spain, which was confirmed by the national electricity grid operator, Red Eléctrica. The disruption occurred while Andreeva was serving to close out her match, but she managed to save four break points to secure the win just before play was suspended on all courts.
The two players haven`t competed against each other since 2023, which marked Andreeva`s significant breakthrough season on the Hologic WTA Tour. Their previous two meetings both took place at Grand Slam tournaments. Gauff ended Andreeva`s impressive main-draw debut run at Roland Garros 2023 in the third round, winning 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-1. Three months later, Gauff repeated the result with a 6-3, 6-2 victory in the US Open second round.
Now, two years after those initial encounters, they face off for the first time as Top 10 ranked players. Andreeva is currently on a strong run against Top 10 opponents, having won her last five matches against them. Gauff, conversely, lost her only previous match against a Top 10 player this year, falling to Jasmine Paolini in the Stuttgart quarterfinals last week.
Gauff`s Dominance on Serve and Return
Gauff and Bencic have met frequently recently; this match was their third this season, but their first contested on clay. Gauff now holds a 3-2 advantage in their overall head-to-head record, and a 2-1 lead in their 2024 encounters.
Unlike their longer three-set battles at the Australian Open and Indian Wells, this particular match was relatively one-sided. Gauff outperformed Bencic across the board – on serve, return, and from the baseline. She created 14 break point opportunities on Bencic`s serve, converting four, while facing only one break point on her own serve. Gauff hit 25 winners compared to Bencic`s 10 and won 85% of her first-serve points versus the Swiss player`s 60%.
Gauff`s aggressive targeting of Bencic`s second serve was particularly effective. She hit three clean return winners to secure her first break at 4-2 in the first set and added another for a 3-1 lead in the second. Bencic struggled significantly on her second serve, winning only four points from it throughout the match.
Andreeva Maintains Strong Form in Madrid
Andreeva showcased a composed and decisive performance against a challenging opponent she had not encountered before. Starodubtseva, blending power and finesse, immediately signaled her intent by earning three break points in the match`s very first game. The Ukrainian`s drop shot also proved effective at various moments during the contest.
However, Andreeva`s key strength is her ability to deploy the optimal strategy for each match situation, and the young player demonstrated this once more. Despite Starodubtseva`s persistent pressure, Andreeva successfully defended all nine break points she faced. In the first set, she employed careful, consistent play to draw errors from her world No. 99 ranked opponent during crucial points. As the second set became more competitive, Andreeva adopted a more creative and aggressive approach, effectively using drop shots of her own to counter Starodubtseva.
Jasper Hawthorne 
Dominic Ashworth