DUBAI—Mirra Andreeva roared into her first WTA 1000 final on Friday, shocking Elena Rybakina, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
The 17-year-old No. backed up a big win over world No. 2 Iga Swiatek to repeat the feat against Rybakina defeating the former world No. 3 and No. 6 seed in two hours and 15 minutes on Center Court.
“Honestly it’s crazy because at first I was not very positive before coming to Dubai,” said Andreeva, who lost early last week at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open in Doha. “I was like, ‘Okay, well, I’m just going to play.’
“As always, when you don’t think about how you’re going to play, you just play your best tennis. In the end, it’s one of your best tournaments.”
Andreeva had been in the midst of a milestone week coming into her first WTA 1000 semifinal, fresh off a strong win over Swiatek, the current world No. 2. The No. 12 seed has soared up the rankings since last spring, when she made her first major semifinal at Roland Garros with a win against then-No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, and won her first WTA title on clay in Romania.
