"Ladybug helped me a little" - Mirra Andreeva reveals lucky charm that gave her the 'chance' to beat Aryna Sabalenka in French Open QF

Mirra Andreeva recently disclosed the secret behind her win over second seed Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinals of the 2024 French Open. This marked the 17-year-old's first win against Sabalenka in the three matches they have played.

Andreeva defeated Sabalenka 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4 in two hours and 29 minutes to secure her spot in the semifinals at Roland Garros. This victory also made her the youngest player to reach a Grand Slam semifinal since Martina Hingis, who reached the final four at the French Open and US Open in 1997

During her post-match on-court interview, Andreeva reflected on the match and admitted that she was feeling nervous before facing Sabalenka, who had previously defeated her twice. The World No.38 also revealed that her nervousness stemmed from the fact that it was her first time playing on the Philippe-Chatrier court.

Andreeva said that she had focused on playing point by point without thinking about the score.

“I was very nervous before the match, and it’s the first time for me when I’m playing on a big court, on Philippe-Chatrier, so I kind of expected that the crowd will be cheering for her [Aryna Sabalenka], and she will have a little advantage mental wise, and game-wise because she kicked my a*s two matches before when we played. I just tried to focus on myself and play point-by-point. I tried to not really think about the score and just tried to take revenge,” Mirra Andreeva said.

Mirra Andreeva also revealed that a ladybug served as her lucky charm during the match, providing her with a bit of extra luck that helped her secure the victory.

“In the last game, I think you saw me picking up something from the floor. I saw a ladybug, and I was like, ‘That can be a chance for me.’ But I really tried not to think about that. I tried to stay aggressive and keep playing my game, and maybe this ladybug helped me a little bit today," she added.

Mirra Andreeva will face Jasmine Paolini in French Open 2024 SF

Mirra Andreeva at the 2024 French Open

Mirra Andreeva will take on 12th seed Jasmine Paolini in the semifinals of the 2024 French Open.

Andreeva kicked off her campaign at Roland Garros with a convincing victory over Emina Bektas, winning 6-2, 6-3 in the first round. She then defeated the 19th seed, Victoria Azarenka 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, followed by a win against Peyton Stearns with a score of 6-2, 6-1 in the second and third rounds, respectively.

The 17-year-old then defeated Varvara Gracheva 7-5, 6-2 in the fourth round to move to the quarterfinals. There she defeated World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka to move to the semifinals.

Meanwhile, Jasmine Paolini defeated Daria Saville 6-3, 6-4, and then overcame lucky loser Hailey Baptiste 6-4, 7-6(5) in the first and second rounds, respectively. She then defeated Bianca Andreescu 6-1, 3-6, 6-0 in the third round and Elina Avanesyan 4-6, 6-0, 6-1 in the fourth round to move to the quarterfinals.

Paolini caused a major upset in the last eight by defeating the fourth seed Elena Rybakina with a score of 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 to secure her place in the semifinals.

Mirra Andreeva and Jasmine Paolini have faced each other only once on the WTA Tour. They met in the fourth round of the 2024 Madrid Open, which the Russian won 7-6(2), 6-4.