Mirra Andreeva once again confirmed her status as a teenage superstar by becoming the youngest-ever WTA 1000 champion at the 2025 Dubai Championships.
It was a week of broken records for the Russian teenager. Andreeva became the first player to beat three Grand Slam champions in one event in over a decade and also the youngest player ever to reach the WTA 1000 final.
In the final, the 17-year-old player had a great chance to win the title. Her opponent was Clara Tauson, and even though the Danish player eliminated the WTA World No. 1, Aryna Sabalenka, on her way to the final, she was still the lower-ranked player in this match.
But there wasn’t any favorite. Both players had an exceptional week, and both could win the title. And the first set was exactly like that. It was very close, with very little between the two players.
Andreeva had a first break point in the first game, but after she couldn’t use it, she was the first broken player, falling behind 0-2. The Russian player then broke back and saved two break points to make it 2-2.
When the balls changed for the first time, the scoreboard showed 4-3 for the Danish player, and it seemed that Andreeva appreciated the fresh balls much more than her opponent.
After the ball change, the teenager won eight of the following nine rallies, breaking to lead 5-4 and serve for the set. But she couldn’t serve out the first set of this match, and it had to be decided in a tie-break.
Andreeva was the dominant player in the tie-break. She won the first six points, which meant she had the maximum amount of consecutive match points a player can have in this format, six.
Two were enough for the 17-year-old player who won the tie-break 7-1. The tie-break might have also decided this match, as its effects showed early in the second set.
Andreeva broke first, and she also saved three break points, and the scoreboard quickly showed 4-1. The teenager then added one more break, and at 5-1 in the second set, she served for the title.
The teenage sensation had no issues serving out the match, winning 7-6(1), 6-1, to win her maiden WTA 1000 title at the 2025 Dubai Championships, also becoming the youngest-ever player to do so.
Thanks to this win, Andreeva will also make her Top 10 debut. She will move up by five positions to the World No. 9 place. After the final, she admitted that reaching the Top 10 was her goal this year, but she didn’t expect to achieve it this fast.
“Honestly, this is incredible. I’ve set a goal for myself to be top 10 at the end of the year and it's just the end of February and I already made it. This is something incredible for me. I'm super happy with the way I was playing today.”
Like the rest of the Tour, Andreeva will now turn focus to the Sunshine Double. She will be one of the top favorites in Indian Wells and Miami after this incredible week.
