Mirra Andreeva’s Cinderella Career at Wimbledon It ended after the 16-year-old Russian tennis player received a controversial call-up on Monday that helped pave the way for American Madison Keys to reach the quarterfinals.
Andreeva entered Monday’s match with momentum, winning nine of her last 10 games. She led Keys 3-0 in the second set after winning the first, but Keys quickly turned the momentum in her favor and Andreeva let her frustrations out on the court.
Mirra Andreeva is pictured during her fourth round match at Wimbledon on July 10, 2023 in London. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
He received a warning from Swedish chair umpire Louise Azemar Engzell for throwing his racket after giving up a 4-1 lead in the second set, a punishment Andreeva admitted she «deserved».
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But with the game on the line, Andreeva received an unsportsmanlike penalty for throwing her racket again, only this time it was thrown. Russian professional he said he slipped, causing him to accidentally hit the grass court with his racket.
«I slipped. I didn’t. I slipped and fell,» Andreeva protested, according to EuroSport. «It’s not [the] bad decision. Do you understand what you are doing? Do you understand what you’re doing?»
The call was Andreeva’s second code violation, which awarded Keys a match point as a result.
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«I didn’t drop the racket, I slipped. Yes, I slipped, I didn’t drop the racket.»
«It’s the wrong decision,» he continued to plead. «I didn’t drop the racket, I fell. I slipped and then I fell.»
Mirra Andreeva interacts with the referee during her fourth round match at Wimbledon on July 10, 2023 in London. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Keys would win the match, 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-2, at the next point and end Andreeva’s hopes of becoming the youngest player to reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals since Anna Kournikova in 1997.
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During her post-game press conference, Andreeva supported her defense.
«For me, it’s a controversial point,» he said, according to BBC News. «Honestly, I had no intention of dropping the racket. I slipped. Honestly, I thought I was going to fall forward.»
«Maybe it looked like I dropped the racket. I don’t know. I haven’t seen any video yet.»
Mirra Andreeva is pictured during her fourth round match at Wimbledon on July 10, 2023 in London. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Keys will now play Aryna Sabalenka, who won the australian open this year and has a 16-1 record in major tournaments in 2023.
Associated Press contributed to this report.