A star has been born. The Russian Mirra Andreeva (47th in the WTA ranking), only 16 years old, played devastating tennis and eliminated the Tunisian Our Jabeur (6th) by 6-0 and 6-2 to advance to the third round of the Australian Open.
Andreeva had a super special match ahead of her. She was playing for the first time at the Rod Laver Arena and she was playing against her idol. Her pressure didn’t weigh on him at all and he played at a superlative level on an unforgettable night for her.
Historical wherever you look at it: He got his first victory against a Top 10 and became the youngest tennis player in the Open Era to achieve a first set 6-0 against a player among the top 10 seeds at the singles level.
Of course there are more: She is the second tennis player under 17 years old to eliminate one of the best 8 seeds in a Grand Slam since 2000 (Coco Gauff to Naomi Osaka in 2020) and also She is the second youngest in the Open Era to concede less than three games against a Top 10 in a tournament of these characteristics (only surpassed by Jelena Dokic to Martina Hingis at Wimbledon 1999).
However, it is not the first time that she has hit the table, it is only a reconfirmation that she has everything to be a protagonist in the women’s circuit. At his very young age, he has already won matches in all the Grand Slams: Third round at Roland Garros, fourth round at Wimbledon and second round at the 2023 US Open; Third round (with chances of continuing to advance) at the 2024 Australian Open.
But there is one fact that further magnifies her transition from child prodigy to a rising star in tennis. On this same date, but in 2022, he had not yet played any professional tournament; In 2023 she was already 293rd in the world, and this year she will leave Melbourne (at least) among the 35 best tennis players in the world.
He is already in the third round and he is going for more. His next rival will emerge from the duel between the Russian Kamilla Rakhimova (90th) and the French Diane Parry (72ª).
All the activity of the Australian Open 2024, exclusively on ESPN and STAR+.
