Wimbledon sensation Mirra Andreeva left in tears as 16-year-old loses to Madison Keys

Mirra Andreeva's bid to replicate Emma Raducanu's run from qualifying to Grand Slam glory is over after American star Madison Keys knocked her out to reach Wimbledon's quarter-finals. 

The 16-year-old, who had never played a grass-court tournament before Wimbledon, was thriving at the All England Club, only to stumble when she was one game away from victory in a decisive second set.  

Andreeva, who left Russia as a youngster and is now living in Cannes, where she is coached, lost her rhythm afterlosing the second-set tie-break 7-4, leaving Keys to race to the finish in a 3-6, 7-6, 6-2 win on Court Two, which was not without controversy.

In the final game of the match Andreeva was adjudged to have thrown her racquet and was penalised with a point penalty, teeing Keys up with match point. Replays showed she had, as claimed, slipped and former US tennis star Andy Roddick backed up those who labelled it a harsh umpire call.

Andreeva was seething at the call and left the court promptly after defeat, electing not to shake the chair umpire's hand. 

Mirra Andreeva could not hold back her tears as her fairytale Wimbledon run was ended

Despite racing to take the first set 6-3, Andreeva unravelled after losing second set tie-break

Madison Keys' serve improved as the match went on and her experience eventually showed

The Russian star, who is currently ranked world No 102, burst into tears at her bench down 4-1 in the deciding set and she was unable to maintain her emotions when Keys sealed match point.

It means her Wimbledon run is over after wins over Chloé Paquet, Tamara Korpatsch, Wang Xiyu, Barbora Krejčíková, and Anastasia Potapova.

It was a nervy start for Andreeva, which is perhaps unsurprising given this is the furthest she has ever been at a Grand Slam. 

Keys held her opening service game to love, before breaking with a backhand winner to go up 2-0.

But in the ninth minute of the match, the third game, Andreeva found her rhythm and held her nerve at deuce to get on the board with a backhand winner of her own to take back the break.

From there she looked emboldened that she could hold her own against a campaigner as experienced as Keys and the American soon faltered, losing a 32-minute opening set 6-3. 

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'Of course, I feel confident, but it's different between self-confidence and just confidence,' Andreeva said last week. 

'Because if you are too self-confident, then it will be not good for your career.  Because you can go, as my coach says, as a diva. So, I just try to stay humble.' 

But when the going got tough in the second set, having been pegged back from up a break to a tiebreak, Keys showed her experience, 12 years Andreeva's senior and in the tiebreak in particular it showed. 

There were boos at 5-2 when Andreeva was handed a point penalty for throwing the racquet, giving Keys a match point. Andreeva was furious and said she slipped, and in fact did not throw the racquet. 

The 28-year-old American admitted that she was feeling the nerves against the fearless teen

Andreeva had never played on a grass-court prior to competing this month at Wimbledon

Speaking to the BBC, Keys said: 'I knew she's obviously a ohenomenal player so I jknew I had to stay in the match and try to get an opportunity to break back. 

'I just tried to keep the momentum and keep going and here we are.'

The American added: 'I'd be lying if I said I wasn't [feeling pressure]. You don't want to be the person who loses to her for her to get to her first quarters. 

'I knew that if I could just try to stay in the match that my many, many, many more years on the Tour should kick in.' 

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