‘Nervous’ 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva set for big rankings boost after stunning win over Ons Jabeur
She may have been nervous on the inside, but Mirra Andreeva produced a composed display as she brushed aside three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur in the second round of the Australian Open.
Aged just 16, Andreeva oozed maturity well beyond her years as she claimed her first-ever win against a top-10 player with an astonishing 6-0, 6-2 win over the reigning world No 6.
The match lasted just 54 minutes and she lost only eight points during the 20-minute opening set against her much more experienced opponent on Rod Laver Arena.
“I was really nervous before the match, because I’m really inspired by Ons, by the way she plays,” Andreeva said after reaching the third round of a Grand Slam for the third time in her career.
“In the first set, I showed amazing tennis. I honestly didn’t expect that from myself. I just wanted to go and play on this big court for the second time, just to enjoy tennis, just to enjoy the time, and I did.”
Rankings Rise
Already the youngest player in the top 50 of the WTA Rankings as she currently sits at No 47, Andreeva is projected to climb into the top 40 for the first time in her career as she finds herself at No 34 in the Live Rankings with a few more places up for grabs if she wins her next encounter.
That encounter is against Diane Parry after the 21-year-old French player defeated Kamilla Rakhimova 7-5, 6-2.
But the teenager is not thinking too much about her position in the rankings.
“I mean, I’m 16. Why do I have to think about the rankings? I’m going a bit higher, and so my goal is to go higher and higher, maybe for a little bit but still higher,” she said.
“So I don’t know. I just try not to think about that and just to think about tennis and that’s it.”
Other stats, as per Opta Ace:
At 16 years and 263 days, Andreeva is the youngest player in Grand Slam Open Era history to claim a 6-0 opening set against a top 10-seeded player in the women’s singles draw.
The teenager is also the second-youngest player in the Open Era after Jelena Dokic to concede three games or fewer against a top-10 seed at a Grand Slam. Dokic achieved the feat against then world No 1 Martina Hingis in the first round of Wimbledon in 1999.
