16-year-old is the younger of two Russian teenagers, loves Wimbledon and is quickly making a name for herself
Sibling acts in tennis aren’t rare. But with Venus Williams bowing out in her first round match at the age of 43, and Serena having (ostensibly) retired at last year’s US Open, Wimbledon is in the market for successors. Enter: the Andreevas.
The two Russian teens have been making a name (the same one) for themselves, climbing the rankings by clocking up lower tour titles and promising debut performances at the slams over the past 12 months. Though the elder, Erika (aged 19), was knocked out in last week’s qualifiers, her younger sister Mirra, just 16, and a Junior Australian Open finalist, is proving to be the more consistent with a series of blockbuster results – as a wildcard she beat two top 20 players, Beatriz Haddad-Maia included, to reach the last 16 in Madrid last month; and she made the third round in her slam debut in Paris.