New Delhi: Teenager Mirra Andreeva earned the biggest title of blossoming career with a 7-6 (1), 6-1 win over Clara Tauson in the final of the Dubai Championships.
The 12th seed Andreeva beat 38th-ranked Tauson in an hour and 46 minutes to break new ground for teenagers at this level, as at At 17 years and 299 days old, she is the youngest WTA 1000 finalist and champion since the WTA 1000 format began in 2009.
The Russian is poised to enter the top 10 of the WTA rankings when it is updated next week after her win in Dubai. She is the 17-year-old to be in the top 10 list since Nicole Vaidisova in 2007.
The title capped a dream week for Andreeva as she defeated 2023 Wimbledon winner Marketa Vondrousova, five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek and 2022 Wimbledon holder Elena Rybakina.
She became the youngest tennis player to eat three major champions at a single event since Maria Sharapova did at the 2004 WTA Finals, also becoming the youngest to reach the final of a WTA 1000 event, with her only previous title coming at the Iasi Open in Romania last year.
“I’ve been dreaming of having a press conference with a [WTA 1000] trophy by my side, so finally it happened,” Andreeva said in a press conference on Saturday.
“But I saw winners drinking a glass of champagne. It’s a pity that I’m still 17.”
‘Top 5 my goal’
“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,” Andreeva 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.”
Andreeva said she felt confident once she had the first set in her bag and then began to play better.
“When I managed to win the first set, I felt like, ‘Well, OK, this is I think one of the first times when I actually lead in the score. That gave me a bit of confidence,” Andreeva said.
Seventeen year old Russian Mirra Andreeva won 7-6 (1), 6-1 against Clara Tauson in the final of the Dubai Championships and will enter the top 10 in the WTA rankings. Tennis Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
