Mirra Andreeva claimed it was a ‘nightmare’ to be drawn against her sister Erika at the Wuhan Open.
Russia’s new teenage sensation has not looked rocked on any occasion so far in her young, yet nonetheless successful career.
A trip to the French Open semi-finals after toppling Aryna Sabalenka? Taken completely in her stride.
A shot at an Olympic silver medal in her debut games? Not a glimmer of anxiety. Mirra Andreeva has represented everything exciting about tennis as she’s clambered up the WTA rankings.
However, despite her cool and collected demeanor, the prospect of battling against her older sister, Erika, has totally shaken the 17-year-old.
Mirra Andreeva claims ‘stressful’ and ‘nightmare’ match after draw against her sister
Andreeva made WTA history after breaking into the top 20 for the first time in her career after a run to the Beijing Open quarter-finals.
Having never faced her sister on the WTA Tour, the pair were asked about the prospect of facing each other. At the US Open last year, Mirra told the WTA: “We practiced a lot when we were younger and of course she would always beat me, like 6-1 or 6-2. Maybe only 6-3 if I played good, or she had a bad day.”
It was Erika who pointed out a caveat in this dominance however. She explained that they still hit with each other, but no longer play points and actually haven’t played a set against each other in over five years.
“Honestly, Mirra was so small. The time that we played was very long ago. Also, when you are that young, the age difference matters more.”
Now however, with a spot in the Round of 16 at the Wuhan Open on the line, Mirra admitted her total dread: “It will be like a nightmare to play against her,” she said to the WTA on Tuesday.
“It will be a pretty weird match. She will know what I will do on the court, and I know what she does. I think it’s going to be fun for the people who are watching, but really stressful for the both of us.”
Could this be the start of a new famous sister rivalry?
While Mirra has been the one to catch the headlines, her older sister is carefully cultivating a tidy career of her own.
Erika came through qualifying in Wuhan and defeated Dayana Yastremska, this year’s Australian Open semi-finalist, in her opening round match in the main draw.
Still just 20, Erika is ranked within the top 70 and is a junior Grand Slam runner-up.
While the Williams’ sister forged a famous rivalry, perhaps this may be the inception of a new one.
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