In Madrid, seated calmly behind a high-top table in the VIP section at the Mutua Madrid Open, Mirra Andreeva composedly handled the considerable press vying for her attention. On Tuesday, more than 20 reporters and photographers clustered around her, absorbed by her words and every subtle expression.
Two years ago, when a 15-year-old burst onto the scene here, this level of pre-tournament focus would have felt surreal, perhaps even impossible. But that was before Andreeva mounted a stunning run to the Round of 16 at this WTA 1000 event, before she launched a career that promises to be exceptional.
“It feels like just a week ago,” Andreeva remarked. “But yes, I’m super excited to return to Madrid. I have great memories here.”
She will celebrate her 18th birthday in a week, but her early accomplishments already mark Andreeva as a very different kind of player. On Thursday, she defeated Marie Bouzkova 6-3, 6-4 in a second-round match.
Andreeva secured victories in two of the season’s four WTA 1000 events – back-to-back in Dubai and Indian Wells. In both tournaments, she overcame World No. 2 Iga Swiatek and World No. 7 Elena Rybakina, and also defeated Sabalenka in the BNP Paribas final.
How remarkable is Andreeva’s rise? She is currently ranked World No. 7 in the PIF WTA Rankings, making her the youngest player to enter the Top 10 in 18 years. She is one of just three teenagers in the Top 100, with the second youngest, Alexandra Eala, ranked at No. 72.
Typically, teenagers are not yet completely developed physically and often lack the strength and power of their older counterparts. Yet, Andreeva has hit more winners (398) and aces (78) than any other player in this year`s WTA 1000 tournaments. The striking part? She is almost certainly going to become even stronger.
An almost unbelievable statistic highlights her potential: Despite her young age, Andreeva has compiled a 9-9 record against players ranked in the Top 10.
So, what insights did that intense run two years ago in Madrid provide her about the state of her game and her future prospects? “I don’t know,” Andreeva said thoughtfully. “At that time, I didn’t really focus on achieving the Round of 16, how great it was and all that. But now, of course, I think about it… you know, it’s not too bad, I can say.”
Something Special
In 2023, her year began with tears.
Best friends, both 15 and having grown up together in the game, met in the Australian Open junior girls’ final. It was a demanding yet captivating match, won by Alina Korneeva in 3 hours and 18 minutes. Korneeva won 139 points, one more than Andreeva.
Her first professional event that season was an ITF W60 in Chiasso, Switzerland, in April. She won all seven of her matches, including qualifying. The following week, Andreeva won all six matches in Bellinzona, Switzerland, before arriving in Madrid as a main-draw wild card, ranked No. 194.
This was set to be her debut at a WTA Tour-level tournament.
Andreeva’s first-round opponent was Leylah Fernandez, a Top 50 player who reached the 2021 US Open final in her first week as a 19-year-old. Andreeva saved five out of six break points in a 6-3, 6-4 victory, becoming only the second 15-year-old to defeat a Top 50 player in a WTA 1000 event.
“At the time, I tried to forget that match,” Fernandez recalled here on Wednesday. “But there’s definitely something special about Mirra, the way she was able to compose herself on such a big stage. It’s never easy to play a player that’s younger than you — especially when I am considered the youngest one all the time.
“I remember when I was 15, how nervous I was. And the way she was able to handle those nerves and just play, not only that year but the next. It was like, ‘Let’s keep an eye on her. She’s probably going to do great in the upcoming years.’”
Twenty-four hours later, Andreeva left World No. 14 Beatriz Haddad Maia in her wake with a powerful 7-6(8), 6-3 win.
“I’m a bit surprised to be in the third round but also everyone was telling me they are playing the same level as you, they are just more consistent,” Andreeva told reporters. “Their mental level is different but the game-level is almost the same.”
Playing in Madrid on her 16th birthday, Andreeva then defeated Magda Linette 6-3, 6-3 to secure her 16th consecutive professional win and reach the Round of 16 against reigning Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka.
Andreeva, the youngest player ever to reach a WTA 1000 Round of 16, was no match for the World No. 2, whose power was the difference in a 6-3, 6-1 result. Sabalenka had 28 winners — twice as many as Andreeva.
What does she remember of that dazzling debut two years ago in Madrid? “I can say that I’m proud of myself that I did that,” Andreeva said. “But this time I want to go for more.”
“She is so fast with the results and with the improvements in her game,” Sabalenka commented one week later in Miami. “She is so young, so I cannot predict when she is going to be a Grand Slam winner or World No. 1 – but she is definitely going to be one.”
Focusing on the Present
Teenagers typically invest a lot of time and effort with social media.
And so, Andreeva is well aware of the growing expectations. “A lot of people say a lot of things and sometimes there are thoughts that are crawling into your head and you sometimes start to overthink,” Andreeva said in Madrid. “I’ve experienced that and I have a great team around me. I also share my feelings and everyone is trying to help me.
“I think that now I know how to deal with this and of course it makes it a little bit easier for me.”
Perhaps more than any other player on the Hologic WTA Tour, Coco Gauff understands the burden Andreeva carries. She had her moment of discovery six years ago, as a 15-year-old at Wimbledon.
Gauff, ranked No. 313 at the time, won three qualifying matches and drew five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams in the first round. In what felt like a genuine torch-passing moment, Gauff defeated Williams — then still a Top 50 player — 6-4, 6-4. She made it all the way to the Round of 16 before losing to eventual champion Simona Halep.
“I think as a kid I had almost like blind confidence,” Gauff said on Tuesday. “Obviously, beating Venus was a shock but not to disrespect my opponents at the time afterward, but I just felt so confident I was going to win against them. I felt like I was supposed to, even though I probably wasn’t supposed to.
“When you’re young, you’re just out there swinging free because no one is expecting you to do anything. You’re not expecting yourself to do anything. And then maybe you realize that the level isn’t as far away as it feels when you step on the court.”
Before Madrid began, addressing the swarming media, Andreeva was asked if she’d received any particularly good advice to help her navigate the path to stardom.
“Someone told me to not to think about anything else but the point that you’re playing,” Andreeva said, declining to name the source. “If it didn’t go your way, focus on the next point — from zero. That’s how I tried to play in Dubai and Indian Wells.”
Now in Madrid, it’s not about a breakout performance — it’s about backing it up.
