Mirra Andreeva made tennis history and had her Dubai trophy next to her during a post-final presser but one thing was missing – a glass of champagne.
On Saturday, the Russian tennis star ousted Clara Tauson 7-6 (1) 6-1 to win the WTA 1000 tournament in Dubai.
By claiming the Dubai title, the 17-year-old became the youngest-ever WTA 1000 champion since the format was introduced in 2009.
Mirra Andreeva© DDF Tennis Championships/Instagram – Fair Use
Also, Andreeva – who was ranked at No. 14 before the tournament started – secured a top-10 ranking for the first time in her career.
Overall, it was a dream week for the Russian, who also upset Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina for the title.
Andreeva: I saw winners drinking a glass of champagne… But I’m 17
“Yeah, of course it feels great. I’ve been dreaming of having a press conference with a trophy by my side, so finally it happened (smiling),” the 17-year-old said.
“But I saw winners drinking a glass of champagne. It’s a pity that I’m still 17. Soon I’m going to be turning 18, in the end of April. I hope that I will manage to win another tournament, and there I’m going to have my first glass of champagne in the press conference.”
On Monday, Andreeva will be ranked at No. 9 in the world.
Now that she has accomplished her big goal of reaching the top-10 club, she has set a new goal – to break into the top-5 before this season finishes.
“I think it’s going to be hard to enter Top 5. This is the exact goal that I’m going to set for myself, to be Top 5 by the end of the year. I’m very curious if I will be able to achieve it,” she said.
If Andreeva also does very well in the upcoming WTA 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami, she maybe won’t even have to wait for the end of the year to achieve her top-5 goal.
Tennis World USA