16-year-old Mirra Andreeva keeps proving that what she did in 2023 was not a fluke, as she started the new season well at the 2024 Brisbane International.
In the first round of the WTA 500 tournament, the teenager overcame fellow compatriot Diana Shnaider while losing only five games in that match.
In the second round of the tournament, she took on another Russian, this time the fourth-seeded Liudmila Samsonova, and surprisingly, she won again and dominated even more than against Shnaider.
It was a first meeting of the two, and as she usally does, Andreeva had a really calm start into the match, not overreacting when facing pressure. Both players held their service games, and Samsonova led 2-1.
But she managed to keep pace with the 16-year-old only until that point, as the youngster then won five consecutive games to win the opening set 6-2 while also saving two break points in the eighth game of the opening set.
She did not stop after that, starting the second set perfectly too, and at 4-0 and 30-0 on her opponent's serve, it seemed that Andreeva will be able to win 11 straight games and win the second set 6-0.
But the counter of consecutive games won stopped at 9, as Samsonova managed to win four points in a row to win her first and only game of the second set, before the 16-year-old won eight straight points to finish off the match.
Andreeva won 6-2, 6-1, and eliminated the fourth seed from the tournament, recording yet another Top 15 win in her career. Up next, she will take on Arina Rodionova, who stunned Sofia Kenin in the second round of the tournament.
Facing world no. 113 in the third round presents Andreeva with unique opportunity to reach the quarterfinals of the tournament, and another positive for her is the fact that even if she makes the quarterfinals, the next opponent would be either the world no. 40, Linda Noskova, or world no. 137, Julia Riera, as all seeded players in that section are already out.
That gives the 16-year-old a significant chance to reach the semifinals of the tournament, and possibly fight for a seeding spot at the 2024 Australian Open.
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