Mirra Andreeva: “The new Sharapova” and her magical journey
The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships 2025 is witnessing an extraordinary phenomenon named Mirra Andreeva. At the age of 17, the Russian tennis player continues to shock the tennis world when advancing to the first WTA 1000 final of her career. She became the youngest player to reach the final of a WTA 1000 tournament since the system was introduced in 2009.
On the way to the decisive match, Andreeva defeated a series of big names:
Marketa Vondrousova (former world No. 6, former Wimbledon champion 2023) with a score of 7-5, 6-0 in the second round.
Iga Swiatek (second seed, former world No. 1) with a score of 6-3, 6-3 in the quarterfinals.
Elena Rybakina (seed No. 6, Wimbledon 2022 champion) with a score of 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in the semi-finals.
In the two matches against Swiatek and Rybakina, Andreeva was behind in the deciding set but still successfully came back. In particular, the semi-final match against Rybakina showed the 17-year-old girl’s steely spirit. After losing the second set and being behind 1-3 in the third set, Andreeva won 5 consecutive games to end the match, winning a ticket to the final.
Not stopping there, Andreeva also became the youngest player to defeat three Grand Slam champions in the same tournament, something Maria Sharapova had previously done in her prime. Therefore, the girl from Russia is even more worthy of the nickname “new Sharapova”.
Clara Tauson: The Danish “whirlwind” breaks all limits
If Andreeva is having an excellent tournament, Clara Tauson is not far behind. At 22, the Danish player is experiencing the most beautiful days of her career, reaching the final of the WTA 1000 tournament for the first time.
Tauson reminds people of Wozniacki
Starting 2025 at the world No. 38 position, Tauson has risen dramatically thanks to her stable performance. She started the season with the Auckland Open championship, then went deep in the major tournaments. On the way to the Dubai final, Tauson caused a stir when defeating a series of formidable opponents:
Round 3: Defeated Aryna Sabalenka (No. 1 seed, current world No. 1) in three sets.
Quarter-finals: Eliminated Elina Svitolina, an experienced player from Ukraine.
Semi-finals: Defeated Karolina Muchova after a dramatic score chase 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-3.
This achievement makes Tauson the first Danish player to reach the WTA 1000 final since Caroline Wozniacki. Experts consider this a strong rise of Tauson, a player who once had great potential but never really broke through.
Historic final: Battle of records
The final between Mirra Andreeva and Clara Tauson decided the first WTA 1000 title in the career of both players, and marked an important historical milestone.
This is the WTA 1000 final with the youngest combined age of the two players since 2009: The total age of the two players is only 39 years and 351 days.
Clara Tauson is currently the player with the most winners in 2025 (482), surpassing Madison Keys.
Andreeva became the youngest player ever to reach the WTA 1000 final, marking the same milestone as Maria Sharapova two decades ago.
For Andreeva, this is an opportunity for her to continue writing a magical story, affirming her position as a rising young talent. For Tauson, the Dubai championship will be an important boost for her to become a top player in the world.
The Dubai Tennis 2025 final will take place at 10pm on February 22. This is expected to be a relentless battle between two talented young players, where courage, bravery and desire to reach the top will decide who will lift the trophy.