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Facing a 1-3 deficit in the decider, an irked Mirra Andreeva was berating herself and beating up the net in frustration.
Refocusing on the fight, the 17-year-old Andreeva unleashed a five-game surge to her way into history in Dubai.
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Andreeva won the final five games stunning sixth-seeded Elena Rybakina 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 to make history as the youngest woman to reach a WTA 1000 final since the format’s inception in 2009 at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
A day after Andreeva swept aside five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek in straight sets, she shook off some mid-match serving woes, youthful frustration and basically broke down Rybakinas forehand to spark her surge.
Losing to Rybakina at the 2023 Beijing in three sets taught Andreeva three lessons: The Kazakh crushes her shots, the teenager had to accept winners will come while committing to her own drives and telling herself to keep fighting no matter what happens.
“Last time we played was a really tough match and I had a lot of opportunities,” Andreeva said. “And she is a really experienced player who just didn’t give me a chance and went for her shots and killed me at the end.
“This time I knew she as gonna hit hard, she’s a big server. I just tried to accept when things don’t go my way. I just tried to fight for every point. I just kept believing and in the end it went my way.”
At the age of 17 years, 299 days, Andreeva scored her sixth career Top 10 win—the youngest woman since Nicole Vaidisova in 2007 to score at least five Top 10 wins.
Consider this week, Andreeva has beaten reigning Roland Garros champion Swiatek, 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin and 2022 Wimbledon winner Rybakina to become the youngest woman to defeat three Grand Slam champions at the same WTA 1000 tournament.
The 12th-seeded Andreeva will face WTA ace leader Clara Tauson in tomorrow's final.
Tauson smacked nine aces and saved seven of nine break points topping former French Open finalist Karolina Muchova 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-3 to reach her first WTA 1000 final. Auckland champion Tauson scored her Tour-best 15th win of 2025 and will play for her fourth career championship tomorrow.
If Andreeva wins, she will not only be the youngest WTA 1000 champion ever, she will become the youngest woman since Nicole Vaidisova in 2007 to crack the Top 10.
Today, Andreeva hit 17 forehand winners—four more than Rybakina—fought off 10 of 13 break points and won exactly one more point (96 to 95) in a tense two hour, 15 minute match.
Wearing kinesiology tape crisscrossing her right shoulder, Andreeva broke for 4-3. Playing her first WTA 1000 semifinal, Andreeva saved a pair of break points to confirm the break for 5-3. Andreeva served out the first set on her first set point.
Serving first throughout the second set, Rybakina did not face a break point in powering through the second set.
Rybakina reeled off eight of the last night points, breaking at 15, to snatch the second set and force a decider.
The teenager’s serve let her down in the latter stages of the set. An emotional Andreeva left the court to reset.
Meanwhile Rybakina stayed on court as if ready for action. Rybakina went up love-30 in the 12th seed’s opening service game. Andreeva answered draining some loose forehand errors holding to level the decider, at 1-all.
Pressured on serve again, a passive Andreeva sprayed a backhand to face double-break point. Challenging the Rybakina backhand return, Andreeva paid the price. Rybakina roped two-handed return down the line breaking for the third time to seize a 3-1 lead.
The world No. 7 spit up her third double fault to fall behind 15-30 in the following game. On the run, Andreeva was sliding near the doubles alley when she hooked a running backhand down the line for break point. Rybakina repelled it, but Andreeva was stepping up and stinging the ball with more venom.
On her third break point, Andreeva forced an errant forehand to break back for 2-3.
“Honestly, when I lost my serve and it was 1-3, I was like well okay I had a good run it’s fine the match was good,” Andreeva said. “[I told myself] I’m just gonna fight for every point and she’s serving so we’re gonna see.
“I kind of let it go and still kept fighting for every point. I think when I don't think about what’s gonna happen and I don’t think about the score and I just fight it’s the best way I can play.”
Andreeva, who hit 10 aces in her 6-3, 6-3 semifinal upset of No. 2 Iga Swiatek yesterday, slid her second ace down the T holding at 15 to level for 3-3.
Finding the groove on her first, empowered Andreeva, who was attacking a Rybakina’s forehand wing and reaping rewards. Andreeva won 12 of 16 points earning triple break point in the seventh game.
From 3-1 up, Rybakina was predictably playing her forehand crosscourt and Andreeva read it. Draining a forehand that ballooned beyond the baseline, Andreeva broke again for a 4-3 lead.
Badly bungling an easy drop shot into net, Andreeva faced triple break point in the next game.
Facing the stress with pure fire, Andreeva saved all three break points, including pumping an ace to erase the second. Confronting a fourth break point, Andreeva delivered her best shot of the match—a running forehand strike down the line that caught a sliver of the sideline.
That superb strike helped her hold for 5-3 and seemed to rattle Rybakina, who went down love-30 in the ninth game.
Working the ball corner to corner, Andreeva elicited a netted backhand for match point. Rybakina saved match point with some heavy forehands.
On her second match point, Andreeva drew one final error to end a two hour, 15-minute clash on a five-game surge.
History-maker Andreeva thrust her arms and broke into a smile as coach Conchita Martinez stood in the box beaming.