French Open 2023: Mirra Andreeva, 16, lucky to avoid DQ after ...

ROLAND GARROS — Mirra Andreeva almost found herself disqualified from the French Open during the biggest match of her life so far after she blasted a ball into the stands during her 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-1 defeat by Coco Gauff.

Andreeva had failed to convert two set points in a first-set tie-break when she swiped at a ball that hit someone in the fourth row of the Suzanne Lenglen crowd.

Umpire Timo Janzen issued a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct, meaning another similar warning would result in a point penalty.

However, hitting a ball into the crowd recklessly and dangerously could be seen as a flagrant violation and according to the Grand Slam Rulebook, “the referee in consultation with the grand slam supervisor may declare a default for a single violation” of the code.

“Right after I thought that it was a really stupid move from me, because it was not necessary to do that,” Andreeva said.

“Yes, so that was not the best I could do and not the best. It was really bad what I did.”

Last year at Wimbledon, Stefanos Tsitsipas fired a ball into the crowd that hit a wall and deflected into a seating area full of people but only received a warning. His opponent Nick Kyrgios was adamant that the Greek player should have been disqualified, but his pleas fell on deaf ears.

Andreeva did subsequently hit several other balls away in frustration during match but since they did not leave the enclosure of the court, no penalty was incurred.

The match was one of the highlights of Saturday’s schedule with 2022 finalist Gauff pitted against Andreeva, the 16-year-old sensation making her debut in the main draw of a grand slam.

The Russian came through qualifying, including beating the No 1 seed Camila Osorio, before losing just six games in four sets to reach the third round.

It was just the third time in Gauff’s career that she had faced a player younger than her and the first time at a grand slam, but there was nothing between the pair as they traded breaks of serve in the opening set.

Eventually a tie-break was required to separate them and three Gauff unforced errors handed Andreeva a 6-3 lead, but she squandered her first two set points, the second after a 19-shot rally, which drew the burst of frustration that might have ended the match after only an hour.

Gauff’s superior experience though told – she remembered afterwards that she herself had played her at the age of 16 – and Andreeva’s frustration grew, although not enough to incur a second code violation.

But the younger woman won just two more games in the rest of the match to go down in just over two hours, while her American conqueror continued her progress as the third-highest seed remaining in the draw.

“[Mirra] is super young and she has a big future ahead of her,” Gauff said after sealing a three-set victory.

“You guys will probably see many of the matches between the two of us.”