Mirra Andreeva wasn\u2019t at her best Wednesday in Linz, but she didn\u2019t need to be. The 18-year-old did more than enough to defeat Sloane Stephens, earning a 6-4, 6-2 win in 1 hour and 21 minutes to reach the quarterfinals.<\/p>\n
Linz:\u00a0Scores<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Draws<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Order of play<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt was a tricky match,\u201d Andreeva said in her on-court interview. \u00a0\u201cObviously, she\u2019s a Grand Slam champion, so she\u2019s got that experience. \u201cShe knows what to do when things aren\u2019t going her way. I\u2019m just super happy that I got through this match.\u201d<\/p>\n The victory over Stephens, a former US Open champion, is Andreeva\u2019s 13th over a past Grand Slam singles champion at the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz level and her first since she beat Elena Rybakina, Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka en route to the 2025 Indian Wells title.\u00a0<\/p>\n As she did in those matches, Andreeva had to work harder than usual to secure the win. Here\u2019s how she booked her spot in the last eight in Linz.<\/p>\n Overcoming adversity: Andreeva looked headed for a routine win when she raced out to a 5-1 lead as Stephens\u2019 unforced errors piled up. But serving for the set, the momentum shifted. Andreeva suddenly struggled to find the court, allowing Stephens to reel off three straight games to close the gap to 5-4.<\/p>\n \u201cI felt like I didn\u2019t really have the rhythm after 5-1 in the first set,\u201d Andreeva said. \u201cSo I\u2019m just super happy that I stayed calm, played my game and won the match.\u201d<\/p>\n On her fourth set point, Andreeva finally closed out the opener.<\/p>\n She continued to search for her best level in the second set, finishing with 33 unforced errors to 13 winners. Still, she found enough stability behind her first serve, winning 76% of those points (25 of 33) and facing just one break point.<\/p>\n