An Andorran gem that’s well worth the detour

Victoria Jiménez Kasintseva (Vicky) is a true prodigy. At just 14, she made history by becoming the first representative of Andorra to win a Grand Slam, taking the Australian Open junior title in 2020. The youngest winner of a major junior title since Coco Gauff, she went on to reach world No. 1 in the junior rankings soon after. A left-hander with an aggressive style, she was trained by her father, former pro Joan Jiménez Guerra, between the mountains of Andorra and the academies of Barcelona. After a transition to the professional tour marked by a few injuries, she is now rediscovering her form, backed by a silky touch and a pretty effective ability to vary spin, which allowed her to claim the scalp of seeded player Putintseva in the previous round. In a solid match, and even trailing 4–2 in the final set, the young Andorran turned things around to win, showing impressive physical and mental maturity for a 20-year-old in the Mexican heat and ultimately dominating on return.

By contrast, Linette did beat Tatjana Maria in the first round (7–6, 6–3), but she showed signs of nervousness, facing 11 break points on her serve. I found the Polish player’s movement not very fluid, always a bit late. That worked against a German whose game relies heavily on slices, but against a young, very mobile gem with a well-spun lefty forehand, I sense a bit more difficulty, especially in these humid and slow conditions in Mérida.