It was Andreeva’s second comeback victory over the Croatian – and perhaps more crucially, snapped a six-match losing skid at majors when conceding the first set.
Doing it against Vekic could be even more meaningful. Despite the world No.70 ending last term at her lowest ranking in nine years, Vekic is an Olympic silver medallist and Grand Slam semifinalist known for her grittiness.
No wonder the contest was billed as a first-round blockbuster.
Things began in Andreeva’s favour.
If Venus Williams and Olga Danilovic contested what is likely to go down as one of the games of the tournament on Day 1 – a lengthy duel at 4-4 in the final set – a shorter game played by Andreeva at 1-1 in the first could also linger.
It was pure magic. A disguised forehand drop shot off a high ball made it 15-0. On the next point, a forehand swipe to defend eventually led to a backhand angled winner. At 30-0, she authored an incredible forehand crosscourt volley winner – from the baseline.
How did Andreeva seal the game? By chasing a short ball and engineering a wonderful slice down the line.
Andreeva surged for a 3-1 lead, but was broken back straight away. But not capitalising on two break-back opportunities at 3-2 cost her.
Vekic’s forehand firepower made all the difference in the opening set – striking nine forehand groundstroke winners to just two for Andreeva.