Andreeva breaks through in Dubai for first big title

Mirra Andreeva achieved her top 10 goal months earlier than she hoped as the teenager produced a 7-6 (1), 6-1 defeat of Clara Tauson to win the WTA 1000 title in Dubai on Saturday.

The 17-year-old defeated her 22-year-old opponent in one and three-quarter hours to claim the second title of her career after a Romanian 250 last season.

She becomes the youngest ever to lift the trophy at the elite 1000 level since the  format was established in 2009.

“This is incredible, I gave myself a goal of reaching the top 10 by the end of the year. Now it’s the end of February and I’ve already made it.

“I’m super happy with how I played today.. I’m glad I could deal with the pressure… it just feels amazing.”

The winner defeated a trio of Grand Slam champions this week: Wimbledon winner Marketa Vondrousova and Elena Rybakina plus give-time major champion Iga Swiatek.

“I tried not to think about that,” she said. “I told myself to play one point at a time; nothing is gonna change. Do what you do and don’t think of anything else.

“That was hard – there were a lot of thoughts in my mind.

Andreeva will rise to ninth in the rankings, the first teenager to get that high  since Czech Nicole Vaidisova 18 years ago.

The pair need an hour to get through the opening set, exchanging breaks in the second and third game.

Andreeva moved into position as she served for the set leading 5-4 but dropped serve. Once it got to a tiebreaker though, the teenager roared into form, racing to a 6-0 lead and claiming the set two points later as Tauson fired long.

Tauson left the court after losing the opener after being weighed down by 21 unforced  errors in the opener.

Andreeva took a tighter grip on the final with a break for 3-1, holding for 4-1 to the cheers of fans at the Aviation Club.

The world No. 12 earned an insurance break for a 5-1 lead and finished off her title performance a game later as she served out the victory, with Tauson sending a return long over the baseline to end it.

“I felt a bit lucky in the first set,” Andreeva said. “i had a dream and it came true. I’m speechless right now.”

Main photo:- Teen Mirra Andreeeva lifts Dubai trophy – by WTATennis.com