French Open champion Mirra Andreeva flung her racket in frustration following a dramatic three-set defeat to 2024 Wimbledon winner Barbora Krejcikova on Centre Court on Wednesday.
Just over three weeks since claiming her maiden grand slam title with glory at Roland Garros, the world number five became the first major casualty in the women’s singles draw in London.
Andreeva recovered from 5-2 down to take the opening set before saving seven match points at 5-3 behind in the decider.
But having fought back from the brink, the 19-year-old was broken in the following game to suffer a 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 loss in two hours and 47 minutes.
Andreeva hit long on the final point after a shot from Krejcikova clipped the net, before angrily hurling her racket towards her courtside chair.
Following an emotional defeat, the Russian was in tears at her post-match press conference.
“Obviously it was tough,” said Andreeva. “She played well. I felt like obviously I had some chances, some opportunities. Didn’t go my way. So she’s the winner today.
“It’s going to take some time (to get over this), maybe a couple of days, and then I’m going to be back to practice for hard courts.”
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