Mirra Andreeva thanks Andy Murray text for landmark French Open win

Mirra Andreeva has cited an interaction with Andy Murray as a lucky charm following the 16-year-old’s first grand slam main-draw victory at Roland Garros on Tuesday.

Andreeva continued her rapid breakthrough as she moved into the second round with an easy 6-2, 6-1 win against Alison Riske-Amritraj. The victory marks her fourth win in a row in Paris after qualifying for her first grand slam main draw without dropping a set.

This month Andreeva reached the fourth round of the Madrid Open, a WTA 1000 event, after beating two top-20 opponents. During her run in Madrid an indirect exchange between Andreeva and Murray went viral on social media. She described Murray, one of her favourite players, as “beautiful”, to which Murray responded on Twitter: “Imagine how good she’s going to be when she gets her eyes fixed.”

Andreeva said she texted Murray congratulations after his Aix-en-Provence ATP Challenger title this month and unexpectedly received a response. “After he won a Challenger, I texted him,” she said, laughing. “I said: ‘Congratulations’. He actually answered me, so I was really happy about it.’ He said: ‘Thank you, and good luck in Roland Garros.’ Maybe that’s why I’m playing that good now.”

As against her opponents in Madrid, Andreeva picked apart Riske-Amritraj with her well-rounded game and intelligent shot selection, constantly varying the height and spin of the ball while also attacking from inside the baseline. Andreeva has won 21 and lost two matches at all pro levels this year and has risen from No 312 to around No 114, her live ranking.

“Honestly, now I don’t have any goals. I just play,” the Russian said. “But now the first goal maybe it’s to be in a major of US Open, but we will see if I can do that. For now