Mirra Andreeva storms to 10th Top 20 win of career with victory over Navarro in Cincinnati

Mirra Andreeva has already hit some pretty big career milestones this year, reaching her first Grand Slam semifinal at Roland Garros and capturing her first WTA title in Iasi, Romania a few weeks ago.

And in Cincinnati on Wednesday, she hit another one.

Her 6-2, 6-2 victory over Emma Navarro in the first round of the WTA 1000 event was her 10th career win over a Top 20 player.

She actually has a winning career record against Top 20 players, 10-8, and in four of the eight losses she won the first set.

ANDREEVA’S CAREER RECORD VS TOP 20 PLAYERS (10-8):
d. No. 14 Haddad Maia in ’23 Madrid 2nd Rd, 7-6 (6), 6-3
d. No. 19 Linette in ’23 Madrid 3rd Rd, 6-3, 6-3
l. to No. 2 Sabalenka in ’23 Madrid 4th Rd, 6-3, 6-1
l. to No. 6 Gauff in ’23 Roland Garros 3rd Rd, 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-1
d. No. 11 Krejcikova in ’23 Wimbledon 2nd Rd, 6-3, 4-0 ret. (ankle)
l. to No. 18 Keys in ’23 Wimbledon 4th Rd, 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2
l. to No. 6 Gauff in ’23 US Open 2nd Rd, 6-3, 6-2
d. No. 12 Krejcikova in ’23 Beijing 1st Rd, 6-2, 6-2
l. to No. 5 Rybakina in ’23 Beijing 3rd Rd, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1
d. No. 15 Samsonova in ’24 Brisbane 2nd Rd, 6-2, 6-1
d. No. 6 Jabeur in ’24 Australian Open 2nd Rd, 6-0, 6-2
l. to No. 11 Krejcikova in ’24 Australian Open 4th Rd, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
d. No. 7 Vondrousova in ’24 Madrid 3rd Rd, 7-5, 6-1
d. No. 13 Paolini in ’24 Madrid 4th Rd, 7-6 (2), 6-4
l. to No. 2 Sabalenka in ’24 Madrid QFs, 6-1, 6-4
d. No. 2 Sabalenka in ’24 Roland Garros QFs, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4
l. to No. 15 Paolini in ’24 Roland Garros SFs, 6-3, 6-1
d. No. 13 Navarro in ’24 Cincinnati 1st Rd, 6-2, 6-2

Andreeva is on the verge of breaking into the Top 20 herself, going as high as No. 23 earlier this year and currently No. 24.

Navarro was fresh off reaching the semifinals of another WTA 1000 event last week in Toronto, but Andreeva was just too good on Wednesday, breaking serve four times—and fighting off the only break point she faced all match—en route to victory.

She ripped 16 winners, including an ace on match point.

“I was just trying to go on court and do my best and play, because I had nothing to lose,” Andreeva said in her on-court interview afterwards. “I just went out there and tried to show my best level, and tried to win a match. So, I think I did it!”

Awaiting her in the second round will be former No. 1—and 2016 Cincinnati champion—Karolina Pliskova, who defeated Viktoriya Tomova, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3), in her first round match on Tuesday.

Andreeva and Pliskova will be playing each other for the first time.