Mirra Andreeva secured a first win over her sister Erika as her older sibling was forced to retire midway through their first-round match at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart.
Erika, ranked 97th in the world, had upset her talented teenage sister – the currently world No 7 – in their only previous professional meeting in Wuhan last year, winning 6-3 6-1.
On this occasion, she broke 17-year-old Mirra’s serve in the opening game but from there the contest swung firmly in the favour of the Indian Wells champion, with Erika taking an early medical timeout for treatment to her right knee.
Trailing 6-2 1-0, 20-year-old Erika decided she could no longer continue, sharing an embrace with Mirra at the net as she retired hurt early in the second set.
“We share the same room, so of course I knew what she’s been going through,” Mirra said in her on-court interview.
“Honestly, I have weird emotions. I should be a little bit happy that I won the match but still I’m super sad it ended like that. I’m sure she’s going to take her time and recover and she’s going to come back as strong as she can.”
Mirra will next take on fellow Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova in the second round.
Two-time winner Swiatek cruises into third round
Two-time former champion in Stuttgart, and second seed, Iga Swiatek cruised past qualifier Jana Fett 6-2 6-2 in her second round match on Wednesday.
Iga Swiatek cruised through to the third round of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart
The five-time Grand Slam champion was in typically devastating form on Germany’s indoor clay, making light work of Fett, who had shocked fellow Croatian Donna Vekic in the first round for her first ever WTA Tour main-draw win.
Two breaks without reply were enough for Swiatek to take the opener, before Fett took an early lead in the second set with a break in the opening game.
However, that was quickly wiped out by the Pole, who then proceeded to break twice more en route to a dominant win.
Swiatek will play the winner of the match between No 7 seed Emma Navarro and Jelena Ostapenko in the third round.
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