Andreeva Begins Asian Swing with a Dominant Victory

Mirra Andreeva begins the Asian Swing in elite fashion, delivering a statement victory against Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the WTA500 Singapore Open.

The 19-year-old is in her debut event in Singapore, entering as the number one seed. She’s a clear favourite for the title following the withdrawal of Amanda Anisimova.

Anisimova is still dealing with a wrist injury, an issue which has prevented the 2025 Wimbledon finalists from competing this season.

The world number five won in straight sets (6-2, 6-2), setting up a fifth meeting with Canada’s Leylah Fernandez in the quarter-finals.

Fernandez and Andreeva have met four times so far, with Andreeva winning both matches on clay and Fernandez beating Andreeva twice on hard courts.

Andreeva Outclassed Sasnovich in her Singapore debut

The Roland Garros champion’s power and finesse were too much for Sasnovich as Andreeva cruised to victory in 1 hour and 13 minutes on the indoor court.

Despite the straight-sets victory, there are aspects of the match that Andreeva must improve before facing Fernandez.

The teenager produced a few costly unforced errors that put unwanted pressure on her serve, which got broken twice across the two sets.

The indoor court of the Singapore Open tends to be much slower than most hard courts. This factor certainly limited some of the winners we expect to see from the Russian.

Andreeva’s mental shift over recent months to stay evidently calmer paid dividends.

Due to the slower court, Andreeva had to manufacture opportunities with heavy cross-court shots, putting her opponent behind the baseline or forcing errors from her opponent’s racket.

Sasnovich produced 32 unforced errors, many of them coming from her forehand, her weaker shot within her arsenal.

Sasnovich prefers playing indoor hard-court events but stood no chance against Andreeva this morning.

Despite both players registering a 62% first serve, Andreeva’s points won on first serve allowed her to control the match.

Andreeva won 21 of 29 points on first serve compared with her opponent’s 13 of 31 points won on first serve.

The Russian was dominant on second serve too, dropping only two games across the two sets.

Andreeva broke Sasnovich six times, dominating across all areas of the court and, despite some errors, looked well in control of the match.

Her potent backhand down the line scored numerous winners, but her drop shot was equally lethal when needed, limiting opportunities for Sasnovich to score many winners of her own.

‘Calmer’ Andreeva is a threat to the WTA Roster

Andreeva has struggled to stay calm throughout her career, but after the outburst at Indian Wells in March 2026.

She has worked tirelessly not to let emotions dictate her matches, and it’s clear it is paying off.

In her on-court interview after her win today, Andreeva said with a smile.

“Today, I was super calm; I was not even nervous before the match. It was kind of the vibe today: Just be a little bit calmer, and accept. No matter what happens, just carry on.”

Something which seems so minimal on the surface, but is beneficial in a player’s progression.

Andreeva added, “Every day is different, and I feel like sometimes I find myself worried about some things more than usual… Sometimes there are days where you just feel more comfortable when you’re more calm.”

In light of her quarter-final match with Fernandez, Andreeva gave us insight into how her opponent plays.

She said, “Leylah, I feel like she likes to take the ball early; she’s aggressive; she likes to go for it as well. So it’s not going to be easy, but I’m ready for it.”

The match-up is set to take place Friday 25 September in the early hours of the morning.

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