2 weeks Ago By Jack McEachen
Mirra Andeeva hailed her sister Erika as the person who "showed me the way" after the elder sibling was forced to retire from their Porsche Grand Prix match. The two Russian stars had only played against each other once before Wednesday's clash in Stuttgart. Mirra won the first set 6-2 and led 1-0 in the second before Erika had to stop playing.
Her right knee was heavily bandaged before stepping foot onto the court and she likely feared worsening the issue had she continued to fight what appeared to be a losing battle. Advancing to the last 16 where she will face Ekaterina Alexandrova, Mirra spoke glowingly about her sister during an on-court interview: "We shared the same room so of course I knew what she has been going through. "Honestly I have weird emotions, I should be a little bit happy that I won the match but still I am super sad that it ended like this.
But I am sure that she is going to take her time and she is going to recover and come back as strong as she can. "If she didn't start playing tennis before me I don't think I would play this well, this fast. She started playing some tournaments that she didn't have to and showed me the way, because of her I am high [in the rankings] now.
It [was] easier for me to start to play bigger tournaments right away. If she wasn't there I am not sure I would be playing this tournament this year." Mirra, 17, has had a fairly comfortable run to the last 16 after her first-round opponent Marta Kostyuk pulled out of their tie due to an injury she suffered on international duty at the Billie Jean King Cup.
The Ukrainian's withdrawal ensured that both of last year's finalists in Germany were absent, with defending champion Elena Rybakina pulling out before the tournament along with Zheng Qinwen and Ons Jabeur. MORE TO FOLLOW We'll be bringing you the very latest updates, pictures and video on this breaking news story. For the latest news and breaking news visit: express.
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