The 2024 tennis season was filled with noteworthy stories, breakthrough moments, and countless trophy lifts. But what were the best matches of the year that was?
We rolled the tape, and this week, TENNIS.com is counting down some of the best WTA matches of the past year (with our ATP picks to come next week). Our countdown continues with the top comebacks of the year. Down but never out, these women showed that a match was never over until the umpire said, “Game, set and match.”
5. Mirra Andreeva def. Diane Parry, Australian Open R3
One year removed from losing an epic junior final at Melbourne Park to her fellow wunderkind Alina Korneeva in three hours and 18 minutes, Mirra Andreeva had something even more special in store for her Australian Open main-draw debut.
After crushing Ons Jabeur inside Rod Laver Arena in the second round, hammering the three-time Grand Slam finalist with the loss of just two games, the then-16-year-old found herself opposite another one-time junior prodigy in France’s Parry, who herself scored an upset against a seeded player and was into the Australian Open third round for the first time.
Fans would’ve been forgiven for thinking that Andreeva, who beat Parry at Roland Garros less than 12 months earlier 6-1, 6-2, would coast into the second week ahead of the Court 3 clash. But instead, they were treated to a see-saw affair for the first hour-plus, with a dramatic third frame that had more than enough action to make up for it.
Parry not only served for the win twice — and had a match point on Andreeva’s serve at 5-2, 30-40 — before Andreeva won five games in a row and failed to serve out the match herself. But she eventually dominated the ensuing decisive tiebreak to escape, and reach the last 16.
