‘Mature’ Mirra Andreeva Creates History at the Australian Open as She Ruthlessly Dismantles Sluggish Ons Jabeur

Mirra Andreeva, the Russian prodigy, is still only 16 years old. However, during her Australian Open second-round match against Tunisian trailblazer Ons Jabeur, Andreeva showed maturity beyond her years. Andreeva’s performance was tennis perfection, and Jabeur had no answer whatsoever. The final score? 6-0, 6-2; utter humiliation for the much-fancied Jabeur, and sheer delight for the youngster Andreeva.

What’s more? In winning the first set 6-0, Andreeva created an Open Era record. She also spoke her heart out after the win during a candid post-match on-court interview.

Mirra Andreeva’s bagel brilliance at the Australian Open proves to be a record maker

During the surprisingly one-sided first set, Andreeva registered a bagel (6-0). Astonishingly, the set was done and dusted within only 20 minutes. This made Andreeva the Open Era’s youngest player to claim an opening set bagel against a top 10-seeded star. Jabeur, who was seeded sixth at this year’s Australian Open, was more like a spectator than Andreeva’s opponent as the Russian youngster steamrolled her.

Andreeva’s dominance continued in the second set. However, this time around, Jabeur managed to win 2 games and saved herself some embarrassment. After the match, Andreeva spoke candidly, and from one of her answers, it became quite clear that the 16-year-old is much more than any ordinary kid. She’s got a cheeky sense of humor as well.

Before the match, Andreeva had publicly stated her admiration for Jabeur. However, her performance should prove to be a lesson for all youngsters facing more experienced and successful opponents; respect them off the court, but on it, give them a taste of what you’re all about. For Jabeur though, it’s another bitter pill to swallow, as her time is running out as far as winning an elusive Grand Slam goes.

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Ons Jabeur’s wait for Grand Slam glory goes on

Throughout her encounter against Andreeva, Jabeur looked sluggish. In terms of court coverage, she was nowhere near the brilliant Andreeva. For the Tunisian, this humiliating defeat is bound to be concerning. After all, she is 29, and the women’s game is increasingly being dominated by stars who have time on their side. Take World No. 1 Iga Swiatek for example, who is still only 22, and America’s very own Coco Gauff, who is 19.

While Jabeur has made her way to three Grand Slam finals in the past, she has failed to win any of them. After this latest blow, Jabeur would surely be asking herself if she will ever get the chance again to become the first player from the Arab world to lift a Grand Slam trophy. What do you think? Can Jabeur recover and show the world once more why she used to be so highly-rated? Let us know in the comments.

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