Mirra Andreeva ended a superb week in Dubai by claiming the first WTA 1000 title of her career.
The Russian announced herself on the world stage in 2023 when she reached the fourth round of the Madrid Open, and round three at the French Open.
She backed that up with a trip to the round of 16 at Wimbledon, and made the fourth round at the 2024 Australian Open.
Andreeva made her first major semi-final at that year’s Roland Garros, and eight months later she has secured the biggest title of her career at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Mirra Andreeva marches Rafael Nadal by winning first WTA 1000 title in Dubai
Standing between Andreeva and her first WTA 1000 trophy was Clara Tauson, who was searching for her second title of 2025 after claiming the ASB Classic title in January.
The teenager came through a tough semi-final against Elena Rybakina and beat World number two Iga Swiatek in the round before.
She carried that form into the final and after dominating the first set tiebreak, Andreeva lost just one more game for the rest of the match as she stormed to a 7-6(1), 6-1 victory.
Andreeva claimed the win in one hour and 46 minutes and became the first teenager since Rafael Nadal in 2006 to win the Dubai Tennis Championships.
At just 17 years of age, Andreeva is also the youngest woman to win a WTA 1000 title since the format’s inception in 2009.
Who did Rafael Nadal beat to win the 2006 Dubai Tennis Championships?
Back in 2006 Nadal won the fourth hard court title of his career in Dubai, when he was just 18.
The Spaniard came off a spectacular 2005 campaign which produced 11 titles, including the first of his 14 French Open titles.
Nadal began the coming by coming from a set down to defeat France’s Paul-Henri Mathieu, and he advanced the quarter-finals via a second round walkover.
The Spaniard went up against Tim Henman in the last eight, and claimed a 7-6(1), 6-1 win before going up against Rainer Schüttler in the semi-finals.
Nadal dispatched the German 6-4, 6-2, before coming from a set down to defeat Roger Federer in the championship match.
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