“Mirra Andreeva is going to be number one in the world at some point,” the former World No.1 Andy Roddick boldly predicted on his podcast ‘served’ just last month. And so far, the Russian is only proving him right. At just 17, she became the youngest player since 2007 to break into the WTA Top 10 after her stunning Dubai Tennis Championships victory, and she is now sitting at the World No. 6 position after her Tennis Paradise glory. Following her dazzling Indian Wells triumph, Mirra Andreeva’s meteoric rise has drawn even more praise. Two more American legends – Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova – have now joined the conversation, lauding the young Russian as the sport’s next great prodigy.

The Russian’s path to glory at Tennis Paradise was anything but smooth. The opening set saw her struggle against Sabalenka’s relentless power as she failed to convert multiple breakpoints. Under pressure, Mirra’s nerves faltered, and after being broken, she lost control of the set. Sabalenka, showcasing why she held the top ranking, dominated with commanding service and aggressive groundstrokes, racing through the opener with ease.

But true champions rise in adversity! The 17-year-old responded with resilience in the 2nd set, finally breaking Sabalenka’s serve after an agonizing 0-18 break-point record against her this season. Mixing precision drop shots with aggressive returns, the teenager turned the tide in her favor. By the decider, Andreeva’s confidence soared as she relentlessly attacked Sabalenka’s serve, securing two crucial breaks. The top seed, visibly frustrated, began racking up unforced errors, and the young Russian seized her moment at the court, sealing a remarkable comeback win to claim one of the biggest titles of her career. Right after her win, Evert and Navratilova showered the modern tennis prodigy with praise.

The official X account of Sky Sports Tennis posted a clip of the post-match analysis of Martina Navratilova where the Czech legend could be heard saying, “Should be 18 next month, but when I go back to where what I was at this way at 17, it’s not even close they come out of the box ready to go think they the champions really, they get a lot better help earlier in their career so they get better information and all that but still you have to have it here mentally and this girl got it all.”

Chris Evert took to her X account as well, writing, “Wow! Mirra Andreeva and Jack Draper… Their future is right now, and tennis is looking better than ever! Congratulations 👍👏 @BNPPARIBASOPEN.” For clarity, Jack Draper’s historic win over Holger Rune today at the men’s final marks his first Masters 1000 title as well. But hey, let’s focus on Andreeva for now.

Since her breakthrough performance at the 2023 Madrid Open at the age of fifteen, Mirra’s rise has been rapid. Now, she has etched her name in history as the youngest WTA 1000 champion, the highest tier of competition outside the four Grand Slams. With her stunning victory over 3-time major winner Aryna Sabalenka, Andreeva extended her winning streak to 12 matches, further solidifying her meteoric rise on the tour. 

This triumph not only cements her status as one of the sport’s brightest talents but also propels her to a career-high ranking of world 6th seed: an extraordinary feat at just 17. In the post-match interview, Andreeva shared her thoughts on her emphatic victory. 

“Felt super nervous” —Mirra Andreeva on her hard-fought win against Aryna Sabalenka

With back-to-back titles in Dubai and Indian Wells, Mirra Andreeva, who is inspired by LeBron’s quotes, has achieved the longest winning streak by a player under 18 in the past two decades. Her triumph in Palm Springs was even more historic, as she defeated the world No. 2 Iga Świątek and top seed Aryna Sabalenka to become the youngest player in 40 years to conquer both the 1st and 2nd seed players en route to a WTA title.

Now the third-youngest Tennis Paradise champion after Martina Hingis (1998) and Serena Williams (1999), Andreeva’s meteoric rise continues as she soars to a career-high ranking of World No. 6.

“I know I was, as you like to say, a little brat a little bit in the morning, just because I was super nervous. I don’t think I would be here without you (Martinez, her coach), so thank you for being by my side. I would like to thank myself for fighting until the end and for always believing in me. I didn’t feel relaxed. The whole match, I felt super nervous. I tried to really create something to make her uncomfortable, and, you know, point by point, game by game, I managed to do that,” Mirra said after her monumental achievement.

After her sensational victory over Sabalenka, tennis fans everywhere are eagerly watching Mirra Andreeva as she sets her sights on the Miami Open, which kicks off soon. The question now is: can the Russian ace keep her incredible form intact and clinch yet another WTA 1000 title? What do you think?