Mirra Andreeva beat 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina 6-4 4-6 6-3 to become the youngest ever player to reach a WTA 1000 final at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championhips. The 17-year-old Russian player won the last five games from 1-3 down in the third set.
Andreeva earned the first break in the fifth game with a backhand return to take a 3-2 lead. Rybakina converted her third break-back point in the sixth game to draw level to 3-3. Andreeva broke serve in the seventh game to take a 4-3 lead and served out the first set 6-4 with a hold at 30 after 46 minutes.
Both players remained neck and neck until the 10th game when Andreeva made a double fault to face two set points at 4-5. Rybakina earned the break after a long defensive forehand from Andreeva to seal the second set 6-4 to send the match into the decider. Andreeva dropped her first set of the tournament.
Rybakina broke serve in the fourth game of the third set to take a 3-1 lead. Andreeva bounced back by reeling off five consecutive games to close out the match after 2 hours and 15 minutes.
“I knew she was going to hit hard and hit big serves. I just tried to accept when things didn’t go my way. I fought for every point and kept believing and, in the end, it went my way”, said Andreeva.
Andreeva has become the third teenager to reach a WTA 1000 final since 2009 following 2021 Rome champion Iga Swiatek and 2023 Cincinnati winner Coco Gauff.
Andreeva is the youngest player to beat three Grand Slam in the same tournament since 17-year-old Maria Sharapova beat Svetlana Kuznetsova, Anastasy Myskina and Serena Williams at the 2024 WTA Finals in Los Angeles. Andreeva will rise to a new career high of world number 11. She will make her top 10 debut if she wins the final against the winner of the other semifinal against the winner of the other semifinal between Karolina Muchova and Clara Tauson.
