Andreeva beats Alexandrova to reach China Open semifinals and next faces Bartunkova
Mirra Andreeva, of Russia, left, hugs Ekaterina Alexandrova, of Russia after winning the quarterfinals of the women's singles match at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. Credit: AP/Achmad Ibrahim
BEIJING — French Open champion Mirra Andreeva reached the semifinals of the China Open after battling past Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3) on Thursday.
Andreeva had lost her previous two matches against Alexandrova, who rallied back from 4-1 down in the second set and 5-3 down with Andreeva serving for the match.
“I felt like she was playing better and I didn't take my chances. I could have played more aggressive but what a match this was,” Andreeva said. “She played unbelievable today, and I’m very happy to get my very first win against her.”
The fourth-seeded Andreeva is aiming for a fourth singles title this year and next faces Nikola Bartunkova. She earlier reached her first WTA 1000 semifinal after beating fellow Czech Karolina Muchova 6-3, 6-0.
Bartunkova stamped her authority on the quarterfinal by racing to 5-0 against her seventh-seeded opponent. It was the 20-year-old Bartunkova's third career win against a top 10-ranked opponent.
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