Sunday, October 6

Mirra Andreeva: whos’ she? A teenager at the Australian Open goes from tears to triumph

Mirra Andreeva: whos’ she? A teenager at the Australian Open goes from tears to triumph
Mirra Andreeva: whos’ she? A teenager at the Australian Open goes from tears to triumph | Image Credit: skysports.com

Twelve months prior, 15-year-old Mirra Andreeva broke down in tears at Rod Laver Arena following her defeat in the Australian Open girls’ final.

A year later, on the same court, the adolescent Russian destroyed a three-time Grand Slam finalist in the second round.

Ons Jabeur, the 2022 Wimbledon and 2023 US Open finalist, was destroyed 6-0 6-2 by Andreeva in just 54 minutes.

Although Andreeva’s Australian Open 2024 is far from over—she has a winnable third-round encounter against either Diane Parry or Kamilla Rakhimova—it was the arrival of a potential tennis superstar.

Mirra Andreeva: who is she?

Russian women’s tennis player Andreeva is 16 years old.

She gained notoriety in the tennis world after she lost to fellow Russian adolescent Alina Korneeva in a thrilling three-set match, 6-7(2) 6-4 7-5.

After the game, Andreeva was distraught, and her friend Korneeva consoled her.

In her post-match news conference, Andreeva relived the losing final after her breakthrough victory over Jabeur.

“To be honest, I was really unhappy when I lost the final. I didn’t give it any thought,” Andreeva remarked.

“For maybe a week I was just replaying the match in my head, and I was thinking I should have changed this, should have changed that.”

Andreeva advanced to the senior Grand Slams in 2023, participating at the French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open following her heartbreaking experience at the Australian Open.

At her debut major, the French Open, Andreeva won two matches before falling to Coco Gauff in the third round, after taking the opening set.

The Russian advanced to Wimbledon’s fourth round, when she defeated 10th seed Barbora Krejcikova and lost by a slim margin to Madison Keys.

Andreeva made it through her first-round match in the US Open, but in the second round, Coco Gauff easily defeated her in straight sets.

Andreeva advanced to the fourth round of both the China Open and the Madrid Open in 2023; before losing, she took a set off world No. 2 Elena Rybakina.

Prior to the Australian Open 2024, Andreeva was ranked 47 in the world. She easily defeated Bernarda Pera 7-5 6-2 in the opening round before pulling off a surprising victory against Jabeur.

Andreeva even surprised herself with her level of tennis, saying it was the finest performance of her career to date.

“It was probably the best match I’ve ever played,” Andreeva remarked after the game.

As I mentioned before, I didn’t think I would play this well in the opening set.

The second set was decent as well. So, sure, it was a fantastic match in my opinion.

“I’m super happy with the level that I showed today on the court.”

WTA rating of Mirra Andreeva

At the beginning of the Australian Open in 2024, Andreeva is ranked 47th in the world.

In November 2023, she attained her highest rating of 46 in her career.

The teenager’s results in the Australian Open in 2024 should propel her into the top 30.

Source:
https://www.sportingnews.com/us/tennis/news/who-mirra-andreeva-tears-glory-australian-open/f8a4c7040a5bd2bff1f31f7c?dicbo=v2-d5EyYko