Mirra Andreeva, 17, makes history as the youngest ever winner of WTA 1000 tournament

Rising star Mirra Andreeva became the youngest ever player to claim a WTA 1000 title on Saturday when she defeated Clara Tauson to win the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

Rising star Mirra Andreeva became the youngest ever player to claim a WTA 1000 title on Saturday when she defeated Clara Tauson to win the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Still just 17 years and 299 days old, Andreeva also climbs into the top 10 of the world rankings with the win, becoming the youngest player to reach those heights since Nicole Vaidisova in 2007. The Russian player took one hour and 46 minutes to defeat 22-year-old Tauson 7-6 (1), 6-1 in the final, falling to her knees in celebration as she celebrated the victory before rising to acknowledge the crowd. In her on-court interview afterwards, she thanked her team, her family and the crowd before half-jokingly thanking herself. “Last but not least, I would like to thank me,” she said smiling as the crowd laughed. “I know what I have been dealing with and I just want to thank me for always believing in me.” Both players were competing in their first WTA 1000 final after enjoying stellar weeks to get there – Andreeva defeated five-time grand slam champion Iga Świątek in the quarterfinals and then world No. 7 Elena Rybakina in the semifinals while Tauson knocked out world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the round of 16.