CHARLESTON, S.C./WASHINGTON, March 14, 2024 (by Michael Dickens)
Erika Andreeva has been very successful in three-set matches this year, winning six of nine in which she has gone the distance. On Wednesday afternoon, at the WTA Tour’s Fifth Third Charleston 125 hard-court event at LTP Mount Pleasant, the 19-year-old Russian qualifier was put through quite a test by No. 9 seed Nao Hibino of Japan.
That’s because the 98th-ranked older sister of 16-year-old Russian star Mirra Andreeva faced the brink of defeat nine times – stared down nine match points – and saved all of them en route to a 2-6, 7-6 (3), 6-3 second-round victory in two hours and 23 minutes.
The comeback triumph advanced Andreeva to Thursday’s quarterfinal round against No. 6 seed Yafan Wang of China, who defeated No. 100 Sara Errani of Italy, 6-4, 6-4, in an hour and 38 minutes, by outpointing her opponent 73-62.
Erika Andreeva (photo: Fifth Third Charleston 125)
Andreeva’s come-from-behind win marked the fourth time this year she’s comeback after losing the first set. First, she saved three match points rallying from 0-40 down to hold serve in the ninth game of the 76-minute second set. Then, she fought off six more match points in a lengthy, 20-point 10th game and broke Hibino on her third opportunity to level the set at 5-all. Andreeva went on win a 7-3 tie-break that gave her new life as the match went the distance after one hour and 48 minutes.
Soon, Andreeva broke Hibino in the opening game of the third set, consolidated it and found herself with a match point of her own, ahead 5-3 (30-40). Once Hibino hit an 11th-shot backhand wide, the victory was Andreeva’s to savor – despite being outpointed 97-95.
After an opening-round loss to American Danielle Collins at Indian Wells last week, Andreeva has strung together a solid week in South Carolina. She began by winning two rounds of qualifying to reach the main draw, then defeated No. 93 Clara Tauson of Denmark and Hibino. Wednesday’s victory improved her 2024 win-loss record in all competitions to 16-7.
Trevisan upset, Shnaider advances
No. 3 seed Martina Trevisan of Italy, who began the second round as the highest seed remaining in the draw, became the latest casualty after losing to No. 85 Oceane Dodin of France, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9), in three hours and one minute, the longest match of the day.
Oceane Dodin (photo: Fifth Third Charleston 125)
Dodin overcame 15 double faults – while benefiting from 14 double faults by Trevisan, a 2022 Roland Garros semifinalist – and broke the 59th-ranked Italian’s serve five times in 13 tries. She saved two match points on her serve, trailing 5-6 in the final set, then won on her fourth match-point opportunity after erasing two additional match points from Trevisan during a decisive 20-point tiebreaker.
Afterward, Dodin said her win over Trevisan was “very important for the confidence. It’s good to play many matches to perfect my game and the pleasure is more important when you win a 3-hour match. You are more proud of yourself.”
Dodin outpointed Trevisan 131-123 to advance against 19-year-old No. 7 seed Diana Shnaider of Russia.
The 74th-ranked Shnaider had a much easier go of it in defeating No. 82 Jaqueline Cristian of Romania, 6-1, 7-5, in a very economical 74 minutes. The bandana-wearing lefty won 81 percent of her first-serve points, saved four of five break points faced, and converted four of six break-point opportunities against Cristian. Shnaider, who won 67 percent of her second-serve return points, outpointed her opponent 70-49. The victory improved her season win-loss record in all competitions to 10-5.
“It was important for me to win today’s match,” Shnaider said after her win, which avenged a three-set loss to the Romanian last year in Auckland. “I lost to Jaqueline at the start of 2023 so this was important for me. It was a little bit mentally tough so I’m proud of myself and today’s victory.”
Cocciaretto only seed remaining in bottom half of draw
No. 4 seed Elisabetta Cocciaretto of Italy made short work of her opponent, 107th-ranked qualifier Marina Bassols Ribera, and defeated the Spaniard 6-0, 6-3 in just 53 minutes to advance to her first quarterfinal of 2024.
The 60th-ranked Italian converted seven of seven break points and outpointed Bassols Ribera 55-21 to improve to 6-6 in main-draw matches this season.
Next, Cocciaretto will face 123rd-ranked American qualifier McCartney Kessler, who defeated No. 95 Kamilla Rakhimova of Russia, 7-5, 6-2, in 91 minutes. Kessler fought off seven of nine break points, converted five of seven opportunities and outpointed Rakhimova 74-57.
Greet Minnen (photo: Fifth Third Charleston 125)
The last quarterfinal will pair No. 81 Greet Minnen of Belgium against No. 96 Rebeka Masarova of Spain. Minnen dropped just three games in breezing past No. 97 Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus after converting six of six break-point chances and outscoring her opponent 65-35.
“I played a very solid match today,” Minnen said of her third main-draw win this season and fifth overall. “I didn’t make a lot of mistakes, and I did a good job of putting in some variation against an opponent who hits flat and hard.”
Meanwhile, Masarova eliminated No. 92 Emina Bektas of the United States, 6-3, 6-3, in an hour and 19 minutes. Masarova struck 10 aces, won 78 percent of her first-serve points and saved all four break points she faced. She outpointed Bektas 71-57.
Thursday’s action will see four quarterfinal singles and four quarterfinal doubles matches.
Wednesday’s Fifth Third Charleston 125 results
Thursday’s Fifth Third Charleston order of play
Doubles: No. 1 seeds advance, No. 2 seeds fall
Monica Niculescu, Irina Khromacheva (photo: Fifth Third Charleston 125)
Top-seeded doubles team Irina Khromacheva of Russia and Monica Niculescu of Romania advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Americans Sophie Chang and Angela Kulikov. The Russian/Romanian duo, who were playing together for the first time this season, outpointed their opponents 56-35 during the 72-minute match.
However, No. 2 seeds Nadiia Kichenok of Ukraine and Fang-Hsien Wu of Taiwan were upset by Catherine Harrison and Sabrina Santamaria of the United States, 6-3, 3-6, 10-7, in one hour and 22 minutes. Harrison and Santamaria outpointed Kichenok and Wu 67-58.
