Mirra Andreeva escapes in two sets, cools down with Carlos Alcaraz in Rome

ROME, Italy—A win is a win, but a quick win is even better.

“I was like, ‘Please, Mirra. Do everything you can. Just don’t go into a third set,’” joked Mirra Andreeva after winning five of the last six games of a 6-1, 7-5 third round against Linda Noskova at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

The No. 7 seeded-Andreeva had to battle back from 4-2 down in the second set against No. 30 seed Noskova, who later had a point for 5-3, before ultimately advancing in 83 minutes on Campo Centrale.

“I felt like in the first set, I was playing well but she also missed a lot,” Andreeva told me after the match. “So, my No. 1 goal was just to put as many balls in the court as possible.

“In the second set, she started to really play aggressive and her shots started to go in. It was much, much harder to play against her. I tried to focus on trying to run for every ball that she sends, just playing as deep as possible to kind of build the point and create opportunities to attack.”

I was like, "Please, Mirra. Do everything you can. Just don’t go into a third set." Mirra Andreeva on rallying to beat Linda Noskova in Rome

After making it into the fourth round for the first time in Rome, she and coach Conchita Martinez cooled down with none other than Carlos Alcaraz. The four-time Grand Slam champion was warming up for his match against Laslo Djere and followed Andreeva onto Centrale court.

The two shared a laugh as Andreeva watched Alcaraz test his reflexes, but the 18-year-old admitted she’s only still getting to know the four-time Grand Slam champion.

“I have to thank Conchita for the fact that I can even say a couple of words,” Andreeva said. “He congratulated me and I just wished him luck. That’s it, so far! Maybe we’re going to improve but for now it’s just this.”

Andreeva further revealed she and Martinez have been inspired by Alcaraz’s drills with fitness coach Juanjo Moreno, adding one in particular to her own repertoire.

“He has some nice exercises. We actually stole one already with Conchita with juggling the balls. He does this one where he’s juggling three balls and his fitness trainer catches them. We stole that one, but so far that’s the only one so far!”

Andreeva’s reflexes were certainly on point towards the end of the match, helping her book a Round of 16 clash with No. 22 seed Clara Tauson in a rematch of their Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships final in February. It was in Dubai that Andreeva won her first of back-to-back WTA 1000 titles, going on to win the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.