Mirra Andreeva bounces out of Montréal after McCartney Kessler upset

Mirra Andreeva became the first big-name casualty at the Omnium Banque Nationale on Thursday, the No. 4 seed bowing out in the third round against American McCartney Kessler, 7-6 (5), 6-4.

Andreeva twice served for the first set but was unable to close as the No. 28-seeded Kessler clinched her second Top 10 win of the season after one hour and 45 minutes on Court Rogers.

The 18-year-old Andreeva was playing her first tournament since Wimbledon, where she reached her first quarterfinal. Andreeva has been enjoying another outstanding year on the Hologic WTA tour, winning back-to-back WTA 1000 titles at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and the BNP Paribas Open, defeating Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka in successive matches to win the latter.

Fresh off reaching two more major quarterfinals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, Andreeva got two byes into the third round in Montréal after 2019 champion Bianca Andreescu was forced to withdraw due to an ankle injury.

Kessler is in the midst of a breakout 12 months of her own, making her Top 30 debut after winning three titles since last August when she lifted the trophy at a WTA 250 in Cleveland. Subsequent title runs came in Hobart and Nottingham, and she earned her biggest career victory in Dubai, defeating then-world No. 3 Coco Gauff in straight sets.

The 26-year-old American rallied from a set down to defeat Australia’s Maya Joint in her opening round, and got to work at another comeback against Andreeva in her first meeting with the teenager.

Kessler rallied from 1-3 down in the opening set and broke back twice as Andreeva served for the set at 5-4 and 6-5. Andreeva had the set on her racquet once more in the tiebreaker, leading with a 5-4 mini-break, but Kessler reeled off the final three points to put herself a set away from the Round of 16.

Kessler quickly gained the upper hand early in the second set, winning four straight games to earn a double-break advantage on Andreeva. After another exchange of breaks, Kessler found herself serving for the upset.

Andreeva kept battling, claiming a fourth straight break of serve and saving a match point when Kessler missed wide off a drop shot reply, but Kessler kept pressing and ultimately served her way to victory at her second opportunity.

Standing between Kessler and her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal will be No. 24 seed Marta Kostyuk, who survived a final-set tiebreaker against No. 15 seed Daria Kasatkina, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4). Kostyuk won their most recent meeting at the 2024 US Open in straight sets.