Andreeva digs deep to sweep past Bucsa, into French Open second round

Russia's Mirra Andreeva plays a backhand return to Spain's Cristina Bucsa during their women's singles match on day 3 of the French Open tennis tournament on Court Suzanne-Lenglen at the Roland-Garros Complex in Paris on May 27, 2025. (AFP)
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Updated 27 May 2025
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Andreeva digs deep to sweep past Bucsa, into French Open second round

  • Sixth seed Andreeva advanced 6-4, 6-3 past her 98th-ranked opponent with two aces and four breaks of serve
  • “I just tried not to think about last year’s results,” said the 18-year-old

PARIS: Rising Russian teen star Mirra Andreeva booked her ticket to the second round of the French Open on Tuesday, recovering from an early double break before reeling off a straight sets win over Spain’s Cristina Bucsa.

Sixth seed Andreeva, who had an impressive run to the semifinals at Roland Garros last year, advanced 6-4, 6-3 past her 98th-ranked opponent with two aces and four breaks of serve.

“I just tried not to think about last year’s results,” said the 18-year-old.

“It’s always tough to start a tournament. I felt like she was playing good today. My goal was just to keep fighting, playing, and showing everything I can, trying to put a lot of balls in the court. Then in the end, point by point, I managed to find my rhythm.”

Playing her first Grand Slam match as a top-10 seed, the player from Siberia needed to come back from 3-0 down in the first set in damp and chilly conditions in Paris.

“If it’s cold I suffer a bit in (the) warm-up,” said Andreeva. “But to be honest I don’t feel the difference when either it’s hot or cold.”

Andreeva pulled out a winner down the line to revive her game when Bucsa was serving at 3-0, 30-0.

She won 10 of the next 12 games to take a 4-1 second-set lead and needed just one break of serve in the second, sealing victory with 25 winners to Bucsa’s 16.

She next plays either American Ashlyn Krueger or Suzan Lamens of the Netherlands for a place in the third round.

The Russian reached the quarter-finals on clay in both Madrid and Rome, losing both times to American Coco Gauff.

“It’s not what I would wish for. But I can say that overall these two tournaments on clay that I played, they were not that bad,” she said.

“There are a lot of positives that I can take and a lot of experience that I also can take with me. Now I’m going to try to do everything I can the best way I can while I’m playing here.”


Football star Neymar says he may retire by end of 2026

Updated 21 February 2026
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Football star Neymar says he may retire by end of 2026

  • Brazil striker extended his contract with his childhood club Santos last month
  • Neymar ⁠remains doubtful for participation at the World Cup this year

Brazil striker Neymar, ‌who extended his contract with his childhood club Santos last month, said that he may retire by the end of the year.
The 34-year-old forward returned to his boyhood club Santos in January 2025 and played a key role in their survival in the Brazilian top flight, scoring five times in their last ‌five matches.
But Neymar, ‌who has struggled with ‌injuries ⁠in recent seasons, ⁠remains doubtful for participation at the World Cup this year.
“I don’t know what will happen from now on, I don’t know about next year,” he told Brazilian online channel Caze on Friday.
“It ⁠may be that when December comes, ‌I’ll want to ‌retire. I’m living year to year now.”
“This ‌year is a very important year, not ‌only for Santos, but also for the Brazilian national team, as it’s a World Cup year, and for me too,” Neymar said.
Neymar, ‌who recently underwent successful knee surgery, has scored 79 goals ⁠for ⁠Brazil, the highest by any player, but he has not featured for the national side since October 2023.
Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti has made it clear over the past year that he will only include players who are fully fit for the World Cup, scheduled to take place from June 11 to July 19 in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.