An all-teenage clash is set to light up Roland Garros when Coco Gauff and Mirra Andreeva compete for a place in the second week.
All the experience and data points signal a victory for Gauff, a finalist in Paris last year. Yet she could well be troubled by the young Russian, who only recently turned 16 and is, incredibly, one of the game’s most in-form players.
This is the first time Andreeva has appeared in a Grand Slam main draw. She has dropped just six games to reach this point, dissecting Alison Riske-Amritraj and Diane Parry along the way. She is on a five-match winning streak after qualifying for the main-draw – also without dropping a set.
Only six weeks ago, Andreeva was outside the top 300. A little over a year ago, she was ranked in the 1200s.
Now, she is projected to crack the top 100, after building a staggering 22-2 record this season at professional level. Add to her activity three big ITF junior finals, and the teenager has won 37 of the 42 matches she has played in 2023.
One of those junior results was reaching the girls’ singles final at the Australian Open.
“I honestly don't feel any changes (in my game). I just play, but I think I became more mature, so this is what's more important now for me,” Andreeva said of her upswing, turbo-charged by beating two top-20 players to reach the fourth round in Madrid, a WTA 1000 event.
“I can say that my mental part became much better, and so that's what is important now.”
After Andreeva completed her 6-1 6-2 rout of Parry, her third-round opponent was not yet confirmed. Many hoped it would be Gauff, a player Andreeva named as one she most likes on tour.
“We practised with her once, so we just played some points as usual practice. I mean, she plays quite aggressive. But the practice and the match is different, so I might also play different. I don't know. Who knows?” Andreeva said of the match-up, cemented when Gauff beat Julia Grabher.
“If she wins … then we will see what will happen, who will play better.”
If recent form is any guide, Andreeva is likely to play better.
While she has barely lost matches, Gauff has been struggling to win them. Between reaching the Indian Wells quarterfinals, and this week at Roland Garros, Gauff won consecutive matches just once, and has not beaten a top-10 player this season.
During the clay-court swing, her game was error-prone, especially the forehand – a wing opponents are increasingly targeting.
In her short time on tour, Andreeva has become notable for her tactical abilities. An interview in Russian emerged following her win over Riske, during which she detailed exactly how she unravelled the American in the first round.
But Gauff is ready for opponents to come at her forehand, and feels more confident in that shot on Parisian clay, where she was so successful 12 months ago.
“On clay especially I feel like it's one of my weapons. Last year, I won a lot of points using that heavy forehand, and I think that that's something I continue to do this year,” said the No.6 seed, who needed just 68 minutes to dismiss Grabher.
“So I guess in a way I'm using it more as a strength. Obviously it's something I need to work on, but I have to work on everything.
“I feel pretty confident going into this tournament regardless of how other people view my game.”
In 2019, Coco Gauff was the Mirra Andreeva of 2023.
The American also qualified for a Grand Slam, at Wimbledon, and proceeded to cut down a succession of bigger, more experienced players en route to the fourth round.
Like Andreeva, she impressed with a strategic, patient game, while charming everybody with her refreshing personality and open, engaging press conferences.
It’s been a mostly-upward trajectory for the now 19-year-old, who has solidified a place in the top 10 and become one of the game’s most recognisable stars.
In Andreeva, Gauff will face her youngest-ever opponent in a professional match; it will be just the third time ever she has played someone younger than herself.
“When I was her age, I didn't think about… I'm sure she's not thinking about her age on the court,” Gauff said.
“I feel like it really doesn't play a factor regarding when we step on the court. Maybe there could be an experience thing that maybe could show, but honestly I really doubt it when it's someone of her level.
“I think she knows the game well, and she's proved her position to be here and proved in her results in the past.
“I've watched her the past couple of weeks. She's obviously done well. And the practice with her, it was a good practice. I think she's a great player.
“You have to play her as you would play any other person that's grown and strong. Obviously she's proved her position here, and I'm going to try to do my best against her.”