Mirra Andreeva claimed it was her first time playing.<\/p>\n
Sorry, Mirra. We’re not buying it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That’s because the World No. 5 absolutely crushed\u00a0Heads Up!, the guessing game where you have to name the word (or phrase, or name) that’s on the phone you’re holding. The participant gets to ask yes or no questions — only yes or no questions — in pursuit of the answer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Andreeva was like a savant, rattling off Qinwen Zheng, Beijing, the Cup of China trophy — she did get some assistance on that one, with the other player hinting that “you want it bad” —\u00a0 Coco Gauff, Lotus Court and Andrey Rublev in 40 seconds. (She could have gotten seven, but struggled a bit with the final question, first guessing Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Karen Khachanov.)<\/p>\n
Her six correct answers topped the leaderboard.<\/p>\n
“My hands are sore,” the smiling 18-year-old said after the sprint of questions and answers.<\/p>\n
Andreeva has had plenty of reason to smile this week — beyond her Heads Up! performance — with consecutive straight-set wins at the China Open. After topping Zhu Lin 6-2, 6-2 in her opening match, she followed that up with an impressive 6-4, 6-1 victory over Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in just 1 hour and 32 minutes.<\/p>\n
The fourth seed, who was given the nickname “Little spicy Mirra” from the adoring Chinese fans, won the last five games against Bouzas Maneiro to advance to the fourth round, where she’ll play Britain’s Sonay Kartal.<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly, when so many people support me, I never feel pressure,\u201d Andreeva said after the match, acknowledging the Chinese fans. \u201cI only feel extra strength that is always with me on the court. So, I want to thank you guys for the support. It’s always great to play in front of you.”<\/p>\n
Andreeva, who made the quarterfinals in Beijing last year, has now won 38 matches at WTA 1000 tournaments, tying Venus Williams for the most-ever before turning 19. It was also her 40th win this year, and she’s the first player to hit that mark in a season before turning 19 since Belinda Bencic in 2015.<\/p>\n
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