A compelling quarterfinal match at the Mutua Madrid Open will feature two of the youngest players currently ranked in the Top 30: Coco Gauff and Mirra Andreeva. This upcoming encounter marks their third career meeting.
Fourth seed Gauff secured her spot in the Madrid quarterfinals for the first time by defeating Belinda Bencic with a score of 6-4, 6-2. This victory adds another WTA 1000 quarterfinal appearance to the 20-year-old American`s resume, meaning she has now reached the last eight in every WTA 1000 event on the current tour calendar, except Miami.
Shortly after Gauff concluded her match, seventh seed Andreeva also advanced to the quarterfinals for the second consecutive year in Madrid, overcoming qualifier Yuliia Starodubtseva 6-1, 6-4. Andreeva, who is set to celebrate her 18th birthday on Tuesday, has already claimed two WTA 1000 titles this year in Dubai and Indian Wells.
Interestingly, a widespread power outage affected Spain just minutes after Gauff`s win. This disruption, confirmed by the national electricity grid operator, occurred while Andreeva was serving for her match. Despite the interruption and facing four break points, Andreeva held her nerve to close out the match before play on all courts was temporarily suspended.
Gauff and Andreeva have not competed against each other since 2023, the year of Andreeva`s significant breakthrough on the Hologic WTA Tour. Both of their previous matches took place at Grand Slams. In the third round of Roland Garros 2023, where Andreeva made her main-draw debut, Gauff stopped her run with a 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-1 victory. Three months later, Gauff won again in the second round of the US Open, 6-3, 6-2.
Their upcoming match in Madrid will be their first encounter where both players are ranked within the Top 10. Andreeva comes into this match on a five-match winning streak against Top 10 opponents. In contrast, Gauff`s only match against a Top 10 player in 2025 resulted in a loss to Jasmine Paolini in the Stuttgart quarterfinals last week.
Gauff`s Dominant Performance Against Bencic
The match against Bencic was the third time Gauff and Bencic have faced off this season, but their first meeting on clay. Gauff`s win gives her a 3-2 lead in their overall head-to-head and a 2-1 edge in 2025 matches.
Unlike their closer three-set battles in Australia and Indian Wells, this contest was relatively one-sided. Gauff significantly outperformed Bencic in serving, returning, and baseline play. She created 14 break point opportunities against Bencic`s serve, converting four, while only facing one break point herself. Gauff`s attacking play resulted in 25 winners compared to Bencic`s 10. A key statistic was Gauff winning 85% of her first-serve points, versus Bencic`s 60%.
Gauff particularly targeted Bencic`s second serve effectively. She hit three clean return winners to break for a 4-2 lead in the first set and another to break for 3-1 in the second. Bencic struggled severely behind her second serve, managing to win only four points on it throughout the match.
Andreeva`s Clutch Victory in Madrid
Andreeva showed remarkable composure and skill in her match against Yuliia Starodubtseva, an opponent she had never played before. Starodubtseva, blending power and delicate drop shots, showed her intent early by earning three break points in the very first game.
However, Andreeva demonstrated one of her key strengths: adapting her tactics perfectly to the scoreline. Despite the consistent threat from Starodubtseva, Andreeva saved all nine break points she faced. In the first set, she employed consistent play to draw errors from the world No. 99 at crucial moments. As the second set tightened, Andreeva became more aggressive and creative, incorporating her own successful drop shots to counter her opponent.
