PORSCHE TENNIS GRAND PRIX

April 17, 2026

Mirra Andreeva

Press Conference

M. ANDREEVA/I. Swiatek

3-6, 6-4, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Mirra, congratulations. Into the semifinals here. What were you most pleased about in your performance today?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Yeah, thank you. I think it was a really good match since the beginning. Yeah, I'm very happy with the win today. Obviously, again, I can say so many things on what I think should have been better, but, you know, I'm just gonna take the win. I think the match was great, and yeah, it was important for me to win today.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. I wanted to ask specifically about the third set. I think you were down two games to start, and then you went on that stretch of five games that really helped solidify the win. Was there anything that maybe at that moment when you were down 2-Love that maybe switched how you were approaching the match? What do you think led to that run?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Yeah, I mean, I just told myself that I was up 2-Love in almost every match I have played here, and then I lost the lead. I was, like, well, you know, she's 2-Love up, but it doesn't really say anything, because, you know, I have experienced that lead to basically slip away.

So, you know, just, yeah, the first game on my serve obviously I had a game point, but then my mistakes. Then after, she played well. Yeah, just kept on fighting, kept on believing that I still can win at least one game in the third set, and then I won another one, and then I just kept on trying to do the same things.

Q. After the first game against Ostapenko, you did it today again, you lost the first set and then came back. You will be crowned the queen of the comebacks. What's going on through your mind when you lose the first set? Because normally they say that experienced player can do that. You're pretty young, very young still, and you're doing this. How do you do it?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: I don't know. I just keep playing. I just try to, you know, still do my best.

Lately I just caught the feeling of how much I enjoy playing, basically. I don't know. I just like to feel the ball on my racquet. I like to get that adrenaline, I like to feel nervous a little bit, I like to get tired. I would never say that, but here it is (smiling).

Yeah, I guess I just caught the moment where I just want to play and see what's gonna happen on the court. Obviously sometimes when things are not working out my way, obviously I can get a little emotional, I can get a little mad, but I think that I learned that the calmer I stay on the court, the better the result is. Not maybe the result, but the better I play on the court, because I feel like I still cannot control the outcome of the match. I can only control on how I play and what I do on the court. I just try to focus on that.

Q. You had to wait some minutes between Set 2 and 3. Was it you wished to talk to your coach, or was it your box's wish to talk to you?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Well, we had that eye contact throughout the whole set break, and then after, I just decided to go there, and Conchita is looking at me. I'm, like, Do you have anything to say or no, or I do some serves?

Then after, she started saying things, giving me advice. Yeah, it was kind of, I don't know, both of us that wanted to talk.

Q. There is one particular shot that I think you are hitting very well since the first time I saw you play in the WTA Tour on clay, which is when you slide on the right side, and you hit the forehand sort of slice forehand, and it becomes a dropshot. Has this always been very natural to you, or that you started practicing when you were very young?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: I never practiced those kind of shots. You know, I don't know, I just kind of -- the thought comes to my mind, oh, it would be good to do that, and I just do it.

Sometimes it doesn't work, but today I felt like I chose a good moment, and I was very pleased with how that went. I got a little bit of goosebumps of how -- I liked the outcome of that shot. So I don't really practice those shots in particular, because it's hard to practice those when you're practicing on a tennis court, because you don't really get those shots that you get in the match.

Q. Could you just give us a preview of playing either Elena or Leylah, just your thoughts of playing either of them?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Yeah, I haven't played against them in a long time. Last time I played against Rybakina was in Indian Wells. You know, obviously she's got a great serve. She likes to be offensive, she likes to go for her shots, and she's also won this tournament here, so she knows how to play on this surface.

Yeah, Leylah, she's also very tricky. I think last time we played against each other was in 2023 in Hong Kong. She beat me in three sets, I want to say, or maybe even two, I don't remember.

But, yeah, both of them are very tricky, a little bit different game styles, so we just have to see who wins this match and we will prepare our best with Conchita.