The Mutua Madrid Open quarterfinals will feature a highly anticipated third career meeting between the two youngest players in the Top 30: Coco Gauff and Mirra Andreeva.
Fourth seed Coco Gauff secured her place in the Madrid last eight for the first time by overcoming Belinda Bencic 6-4, 6-2. This victory is the latest chapter in their evolving rivalry and means the 20-year-old American has now reached the quarterfinal stage of every active WTA 1000 tournament except Miami.
Shortly after Gauff`s win, seventh seed Mirra Andreeva joined her in the quarterfinals for the second consecutive year. Andreeva defeated qualifier Yuliia Starodubtseva 6-1, 6-4. Andreeva, who turns 18 on Tuesday, has already claimed two WTA 1000 titles this season in Dubai and Indian Wells.
Following Gauff`s match point, a widespread power outage across Spain, confirmed by the electricity grid operator Red Eléctrica, affected the tournament. The power cut occurred while Andreeva was serving for her match, but she successfully navigated four break points to clinch the win before play was suspended on all courts.
This upcoming encounter will be the pair`s first meeting as Top 10 players. Their previous two matches occurred during Andreeva`s breakout season in 2023, both on Grand Slam stages. Gauff defeated Andreeva in the third round of Roland Garros 2023 (6-7(5), 6-1, 6-1) and again in the US Open second round three months later (6-3, 6-2).
Andreeva enters the match on a five-match winning streak against Top 10 opponents. Gauff, conversely, has played and lost only one match against a Top 10 player this year, falling to Jasmine Paolini in the Stuttgart quarterfinals last week.
Serve and Return Were Key for Gauff Against Bencic
This was the third meeting between Gauff and Bencic this season, but their first ever on clay. Gauff now holds a 3-2 lead in their overall head-to-head record and a 2-1 advantage in 2025.
Unlike their recent tight three-set battles in Australia (Gauff won) and Indian Wells (Bencic won), their Madrid match was more one-sided. Gauff dominated Bencic on serve, return, and from the baseline. She created 14 break point opportunities against Bencic, converting four, while facing only one break point herself. Gauff hit 25 winners compared to Bencic`s 10 and won an impressive 85% of points on her first serve, significantly higher than Bencic`s 60%.
A notable aspect of Gauff`s performance was her consistent targeting and effective return of Bencic`s second serve. She hit three clean return winners to secure her first break at 4-2 in the first set and another to break for 3-1 in the second set. Bencic struggled significantly, winning only four points when her second serve was in play.
Andreeva Maintains Solid Madrid Form
Mirra Andreeva delivered a composed and resilient performance against a dangerous opponent she had not previously faced. Yuliia Starodubtseva, blending power with finesse, showed her intent immediately by earning three break points in the match`s opening game. Starodubtseva`s drop shot also proved effective on several occasions throughout the contest.
However, Andreeva`s strength lies in her strategic adaptability to different match situations, and she demonstrated this skill once again. Despite Starodubtseva`s persistent pressure, Andreeva saved all nine break points she faced. In the first set, she relied on steady, consistent play to draw errors from her opponent on crucial points. As the second set tightened, Andreeva became more proactive and creative, countering Starodubtseva`s drop shots with her own well-executed variations.
