Mirra Andreeva is the 2025 BNP Paribas Open champion. She defeated World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in come-from-behind fashion to win her second WTA1000 title in 22 days.
The 17-year-old tennis phenom is rapidly rising in the rankings. Her early career reminds us of Serena Williams and Coco Gauff's WTA Tour beginnings.
Though it is early to make too many comparisons, these cannot be overlooked.
How Mirra Andreeva's early career resembles Serena Williams's WTA beginnings
Mirra Andreeva is one half of a sisterly duo on the WTA Tour. She is the younger sister of 20-year-old Erika Andreeva who is currently World No. 95.
Big sis Erika prevails in the battle of the Andreeva sisters as she beats Mirra 6-3, 6-1 to reach the third round of the Wuhan Open, her best result at a WTA1000 event so far!
— WTARussians (@WTArussians) October 9, 2024
Solid stuff from Erika while Mirra was too erratic, perhaps due to complicated feelings today. pic.twitter.com/B1iw9AHAe4
Andreeva defeated World No. 1 and World No. 2 at Indian Wells en route to the title. The last player under the age of 18 to do that was Serena Williams in 1999 at the US Open.
How Mirra Andreeva's early career resembles Coco Gauff's WTA beginnings
21-year-old Coco Gauff was the last teenage phenom to hit the WTA Tour. Her earliest Grand Slam success was as a finalist at the 2022 French Open. Andreeva's best Grand Slam is also Roland Garros where she finished as a semifinalist in 2024.
More importantly, the tennis world remembers 2023 as the "Summer of Coco." Gauff's game caught on fire during the North American hardcourt season in the summer. She won the Washington, DC, and Cincinnati tournaments in the weeks leading up to her maiden Grand Slam win at the US Open.
Not more than three short months ago, Coco Gauff was enduring the first truly rough stretch of her young career. Since then, she's rocketed through an outrageous summer of milestone firsts 10/10 pic.twitter.com/SGWuIPUnpE
— The Body Serve Tennis Podcast (@TheBodyServe) September 10, 2023
It feels like we are experiencing the "Spring of Mirra." She won two WTA 1000 tournaments in Dubai and Indian Wells in 22 days. Where this trajectory differs from Gauff's is that the hardcourt season will soon end, and the next Grand Slam will be on the Roland Garros clay.
The question will be whether Andreeva can keep her momentum and confidence going when the surface changes. First up is the Miami Open, and per usual, Mirra Andreeva's draw is not an easy one, so fans will wait and watch to see if she can do something Serena and Coco did not do: win the Sunshine Double. Only Steffi Graf, Kim Clijsters, Victoria Azarenka, and Iga Swiatek have accomplished this feat.