Last August, at the US Open, in a battle of Gen Zers (as the official event website put it), Ashlyn Krueger pulled off a stunner, ousting teenage sensation Mirra Andreeva in straight sets. The final score line read 6-1, 6-4 in favor of the 21-year-old who snatched the second round against the Russian star and moved ahead at the Flushing Meadows. “This is what you dream of as a tennis player.” said a jubilant Krueger back then. Andreeva was helpless that day – but not this time. Guess what? At the Roland Garros, Andreeva just avenged just her loss to the American and in what fashion!

It was surely not a coincidence as both the players met in the second round, again, on Friday. The result came out in straight sets too. However, the only thing that changed this time was the winner. It was Krueger who found herself on the receiving end. And speaking of Andreeva, she was the one having the last laugh. The 2025 Dubai and Indian Wells winner thrashed the American WTA pro in straight sets. With a score line of 6-3, 6-4, she entered the third round in Paris.

Following her victory over the World No.35, Andreeva revealed that it wasn’t a smooth ride. During the post-match interview, she recalled, “I lost to her at the US Open so I knew this match would be very tough. She’s a very powerful and aggressive player.” Despite struggling to land her serves accurately, the World No.6 eventually emerged as the winner. “I knew I had to play very good today. I tried to do everything I can. I suffered, struggled a bit with my serve. But I’m happy I found a way and stayed calm. I pushed myself to fight until the end.”

With her victory over Krueger, Andreeva has become the youngest player to reach the third round at the Roland Garros for three consecutive years (2023, 2024, and 2025). Before her, the only WTA player who accomplished this feat was former Russian pro Anna Kournikova. She did it 1997, 1998, and 1999’s editions.

But the journey is still far from over for Andreeva. She will look to make a deep run at the French Open this season compared to her past performance. Last year, she entered the semis but missed the final after losing to Italy’s Jasmine Paolini. In 2025, the Russian star is hoping to go the extra mile, riding high on confidence.

Mirra Andreeva “extra” motivated thanks to 2024 French Open run

Last year proved to be a breakthrough season for Mirra Andreeva, especially at the Roland Garros. After pulling off a stunning win over Aryna Sabalenka in the QF, she became the youngest women’s Grand Slam semifinalist since Martina Hingis in 1997’s US Open. Ahead of her campaign this month, she expressed extreme excitement, feeling inspired from her performance last season.

“I have a lot of great memories from Roland-Garros because it was my first semi-final of a Grand Slam. It was also one of the first tournaments with Conchita, so I can’t wait to go back and try to do even better than last year,” reported Roland Garros’ website on April 29.

Continuing further Andreeva added, “It gave me extra motivation yes, because now I know I am able to do it. I was very close and now I have to just try my best to go further.”

Well going forward, she will definitely need the “extra motivation” in the third round on Friday. As of this writing, her opponent is yet to be confirmed. It will be intriguing to see if she can do one better than her 2024 campaign in Paris. What are your thoughts on the teenage sensation’s prospects on the Parisian clay this season? Let us know in the comments below.