Teenager Andreeva frees her mind in quest for French Open upset

When Mirra Andreeva steps out on Philippe Chatrier on Wednesday, she will have the unenviable task of beating Belarusian second seed Aryna Sabalenka but the Russian 17-year-old is a player with ice in her veins, unfazed by the grand occasion.

The teenager showed composure that belied her youth when she tuned out the noise and the occasional boos to dispatch France's last hope in Varvara Gracheva to earn a quarter-final clash against Sabalenka.

As the only unseeded player left in the tournament, Andreeva is an underdog in the truest sense with nothing to lose at Roland Garros where all the top four seeds are predicted to reach the semi-finals.

But having already knocked out a former Grand Slam champion in Victoria Azarenka and dropping only one set so far, Andreeva's secret ingredient to staying cool on the court is not just calming her mind but emptying it.

"When we talk about the match, about the plan, about tactics, I listen. But honestly, I don't remember anything after," said Andreeva, who is coached by former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez.

"I don't have anything in my head when we start playing the match. I just go there and I'm like, 'Well, we'll see. I'll figure it out.' That's how I always play. I think maybe this helps me a little bit.

"I'm not really worried about my plan or about the way I will play or about the way my opponent will play. I just go and I play and I see what happens. I can adjust something during the match."

However, Sabalenka has beaten her in both their meetings on clay and Andreeva knows she must make adjustments if she is to take a set off the Belarusian for the first time.

"We will change something, because the way I played last two times didn't work... I don't have anything in my head, so