Erika Andreeva beats sister Mirra in first meeting
Erika Andreeva defeated her higher-ranked younger sister Mirra in the first professional meeting between the two talented siblings to reach the last 16 at the Wuhan Open.
The Russian pair became the first sisters to play each other in a WTA main draw match since Serena Williams defeated older sister Venus at the Top Seed Open in Kentucky in August 2020.
Erika, 20, claimed a 6-3 6-1 win over 17-year-old Mirra and will now play Italian world number six Jasmine Paolini for a quarter-final place.
Mirra, the 16th seed, said prior to the meeting that she and Erika had agreed to split the prize money from the second round contest, whatever the outcome.
French Open semi-finalist Mirra became the youngest player to be ranked in the top 20 since 2006 last week, courtesy of her run to the quarter-finals at the China Open in Beijing.
But, despite being favourite against Erika, who is ranked 70th in the world, Mirra correctly predicted facing her sister would be “a nightmare”.
Erika is yet to progress beyond the second round in five Grand Slam appearances but, a lucky loser entry in the main draw in Wuhan, she rose to the occasion against her younger sibling.
Already apprehensive about the “stressful” prospect of facing an opponent who knows her game inside out, Mirra claimed the first break of serve and led 3-1.
But Erika responded emphatically by clinching three successive breaks amid a five-game streak to take the opening set.
Erika, a junior French Open runner-up in 2021, extended that unanswered run of games to eight as she took charge with a 3-0 lead in the second set, before earning another break on her way to completing a commanding victory with her third match point.
Sabalenka and Gauff progress in Wuhan
Earlier on Wednesday, US Open champion Aryna Sabalenka and world number four Coco Gauff made it through to the last 16 with straight-set wins.
Belarusian Sabalenka, the number one seed at the event, beat Czech opponent Katerina Siniakova 6-4 6-4.
American Gauff, 20, who won the China Open on Sunday, defeated Viktoriya Tomova of Bulgaria 6-1 6-2.
US Open runner-up Jessica Pegula and Olympic gold medallist Zheng Qinwen are also safely through, with Zheng becoming the first Chinese woman to win 40 matches in a year since Li Na in 2013.
However, Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova was knocked out, losing 6-3 7-5 to world number 102 Hailey Baptiste of the United States.
Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko, who beat British number one Katie Boulter in round one, retired from her second-round match while trailing Poland’s Magda Linette 5-2 in the first set.
