At only 18 years of age, tennis sensation Mirra Andreeva has set a remarkable record as the youngest woman to reach a Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 1000 final. The Russian prodigy accomplished this feat by defeating former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, with scores of 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. The final match in Dubai is set to pit Andreeva against either Clara Tauson or Karolina Muchova.
Andreeva’s victory is a milestone in the history of the WTA 1000 series, which started in 2009. Not only is she the youngest finalist, but she is also the first woman to defeat three Grand Slam champions in one tournament since Maria Sharapova achieved the same in 2004. Andreeva had already set a record as the youngest woman to beat multiple Grand Slam champions in a WTA 1000 series event.
In an impressive journey to the Dubai final, Andreeva first ousted former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in the second round. She then took down five-time Grand Slam winner Iga Swiatek in the quarter-finals, before her triumph over Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, in the semi-finals.
Sharapova’s 2004 Grand Slam victories included wins over Svetlana Kuznetsova, Anastasia Myskina, and Serena Williams, leading up to the year-end championships in Los Angeles.
Following her victory over Rybakina, Andreeva revealed her initial apprehensions about playing in Dubai, admitting that she was “not very positive” at first. However, she resolved to play her best and fight for every point. She acknowledged the difficulty of her matches, particularly against Rybakina, who she said “went for her shots and killed me in the end.”
The Dubai tournament will be Andreeva’s second appearance in a tour-level final. Her first was at the lasi Open last year, where she emerged victorious over Elina Avanesyan.
Ahead of their match, Rybakina acknowledged Andreeva as a formidable opponent. She praised Andreeva’s physical prowess and agility, as well as her powerful serve.
Although Andreeva is the youngest woman to reach a WTA 1000 final, she is not the first teenager to do so. In 2021, 19-year-old Iga Swiatek defeated Karolina Pliskova in the Rome Masters final. Two years later, Coco Gauff, also 19, triumphed over Karolina Muchova at the Cincinnati Open.
Andreeva’s victory over Swiatek in the quarter-finals had already earned her a place in the record books. At 17 years and 297 days, she became the youngest woman to reach the semi-finals of the event and the youngest player ever to defeat Swiatek. Furthermore, after her victory over Swiatek, Andreeva became the youngest WTA player to secure five wins against top 10-ranked opponents since Nicole Vaidisova in 2007, who was 17 years and 273 days old at the time.
