MADRID — Sitting calmly at a high-top table in the VIP section of the Mutua Madrid Open, Mirra Andreeva surveyed the large crowd of press eager for her attention. More than 20 reporters and photographers gathered on Tuesday, captivated by her words and every subtle expression.
Just two years prior, when a 15-year-old announced her arrival to the world here, this kind of pre-tournament attention would have felt surreal, perhaps even impossible. But that was before Andreeva embarked on a remarkable journey to the Round of 16 at this WTA 1000 event, setting the stage for what promises to be a distinguished career.
“It feels like literally a week ago,” Andreeva said. “But, yeah, of course, I’m super excited to come back to Madrid. I have great memories.”
She is set to turn 18 in a week, but her early accomplishments already set Andreeva apart as a unique talent. On Thursday, she is scheduled to play against Marie Bouzkova, who won her opening match in three sets against Renata Zarazua.
Andreeva has won two of the season`s four WTA 1000 events consecutively – in Dubai and Indian Wells. In both tournaments, she defeated high-ranked opponents, including World No. 2 Iga Swiatek and World No. 7 Elena Rybakina. She also emerged victorious against Sabalenka in the BNP Paribas final.
How exceptional is Andreeva`s rapid rise? She currently holds the No. 7 position in the PIF WTA Rankings, making her the youngest player to break into the Top 10 in 18 years. She is one of only three teenagers ranked in the Top 100, with the next one, Alexandra Eala, significantly lower at No. 72.
Typically, teenage players haven`t fully developed physically and may lack the strength and power of older competitors. However, Andreeva has hit more winners (398) and aces (78) than any other player in this year`s WTA 1000 tournaments. The truly formidable aspect is that she is almost certain to become even stronger.
One statistic that is particularly telling, almost unbelievably so: Despite her young age, Andreeva has a balanced 9-9 win-loss record against Top 10 players.
So, what did that impressive run two years ago in Madrid teach her about her game and future prospects?
“I don’t know,” Andreeva said, thinking. “At that time, I didn’t really think that I achieved the Round of 16, how great it is and all that. But now of course I think about it … you know, it’s not too bad I can say.”
A Special Debut
Her 2023 season began with an emotional moment.
Two best friends, both 15 years old and having grown up playing tennis together, met in the final of the Australian Open junior girls’ tournament. It was a difficult but compelling match, won by Alina Korneeva in 3 hours and 18 minutes, by a margin of just one point (139 to Andreeva`s 138).
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 six matches in Bellinzona, Switzerland, before arriving in Madrid as a main-draw wild card, ranked No. 194.
This was to be her first appearance at a WTA Tour-level tournament.
Andreeva’s first opponent was Leylah Fernandez, a Top 50 player who reached the 2021 US Open final as a 19-year-old. Andreeva saved five 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 said here on Wednesday. “But there’s definitely something special about Mirra, the way she was able to compose herself at 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.’”
Just twenty-four hours later, Andreeva overcame No. 14-ranked Beatriz Haddad Maia with a decisive 7-6(8), 6-3 victory.
“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, extending her professional winning streak to 16 matches and advancing to the Round of 16 against the reigning Australian Open champion, Aryna Sabalenka.
Andreeva, the youngest player ever to reach the WTA 1000 Round of 16, was ultimately unable to match the power of World No. 2 Sabalenka, who won 6-3, 6-1. Sabalenka hit 28 winners, double Andreeva`s count.
What does she recall about that brilliant 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.”
And she has achieved more. Andreeva later turned the tables, defeating then-World No. 1 Sabalenka in the 2025 Indian Wells final in three sets.
“She is so fast with the results and with the improvements in her game,” Sabalenka said 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.”
Staying Focused
Most teenagers spend considerable time on social media, so Andreeva is well aware of the increasing expectations surrounding her.
“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 pressure Andreeva is under. Gauff experienced her own breakthrough moment six years ago at Wimbledon, also at age 15.
Gauff, ranked No. 313 at the time, qualified for the main draw and faced five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams in the first round. In a moment widely seen as a symbolic passing of the torch, Gauff defeated the veteran Top 50 player 6-4, 6-4. She went on to reach the Round of 16 before being defeated by the 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 the Madrid tournament began, addressing the numerous media representatives, Andreeva was asked if she had received any particularly valuable advice to help her navigate the path to becoming a star.
“Someone told me to not to think about anything else but the point that you’re playing,” Andreeva said, choosing not 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 back in Madrid, the focus isn`t just on having a breakout performance – it`s about consistently delivering at a high level.
Jasper Hawthorne 
Dominic Ashworth