Mirra Andreeva has rewritten the record books by becoming the youngest player to win a WTA 1000 title since the category was introduced in 2009 at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Andreeva, who will turn 18 in April, defeated Denmark’s Clara Tauson 7-6(1), 6-1, to capture her second WTA title and the most prestigious of her career to date. On the WTA Tour, only the year-end Finals and Grand Slam events have a higher classification. Her triumph in Saturday’s final featured 22 winners and she converted four out of her seven break point opportunities.
“I’ve been dreaming of having a press conference with a [WTA 1000] trophy by my side, so finally it happened,” Andreeva told reporters. “But I saw winners drinking a glass of champagne. It’s a pity that I’m still 17.”
Earlier in the tournament, Andreeva produced a trio of high-profile wins over Grand Slam champions Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina and Marketa Vondrousova. Becoming the youngest woman to achieve this milestone at a WTA event since Maria Sharapova at the 2004 WTA Finals. Overall, she dropped one set (against Rybakina) in six matches played in Dubai this year and has earned $600,000 in prize money.
“I don’t even know what I want,” Andreeva replied when asked how she would spend her earnings. “Now I think about it and I feel like I have everything I ever wanted. I won the tournament. I won it. I’ve already reached my goal that I’ve set for myself by the end of the year. My family is traveling with me. I have a great team. I don’t know what else I need. I feel happy and I feel this is all I need.”
As a result of her latest breakthrough, Andreeva has secured her top 10 debut in the WTA rankings on Monday. She is the first 17-year-old to achieve this since Nicole Vaidisova in 2007. This time last year, the Russian was ranked 38th in the world.
Despite reaching new highs, the rising star already has her eyes set on rising even further in the standings before this season ends.
“Now when you enter Top 10 and the higher your ranking is, the slower and longer it’s going to take for you to be even higher because the difference in the points is very, very short, very small,” she said.
“I think it’s going to be hard to enter Top 5. This is the exact goal that I’m going to set for myself, to be Top 5 by the end of the year. I’m very curious if I will be able to achieve it.”
So far this year, Andreeva has only been beaten three times – twice by world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka and once by Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova.
