Mirra Andreeva was very close to winning her first WTA 500 title at the 2024 Ningbo Open, but Daria Kasatkina just refused to give up.
Earlier this year, the Russian teenager won her first title at the Iasi Open in Romania. That was a WTA 250 tournament, and in Ningbo, China, she reached her first final of a WTA 500 event.
In that final, she faced her good friend and compatriot Kasatkina. The experienced Russian player often creates videos from tournaments for her YouTube channel, and Andreeva is one of the most frequent guests in those videos.
The two know each other really well and have a great respect for each other, which was highlighted also by the post-match hug that they shared, with one player overwhelmed by emotions after winning and the other in tears.
They have never played against each other in a competitive match, despite practicing together before. The final match in Ningbo was their first meeting, and calling it a rollercoaster ride would be an understatement.
Almost every game in the first set was heavily contested, but they all ended with the same result, and that was Kasatkina winning it. The 27-year-old saved her opponent's two game points in the first game and then two break points in the second game.
Kasatkina also recovered a 15-30 deficit in the third game and basically won all the crucial points in the first set, which ended with an extremely dominant scoreline, 6-0.
The World No. 11 player started the second set with a break in the first game, and it seemed like she was heading towards the title in Ningbo, but that's when the proper rollercoaster started.
First, Andreeva won 16 of the following 20 rallies to break her opponent's serve twice and lead 4-1. Kasatkina then responded by winning 12 consecutive points, and after these two streaks, the score was tied again, this time at 4-4.
The 17-year-old, however, played better at the end of the second set, as she was able to hold her serve and break again to win it 6-4 and force the decider in the 2024 Ningbo Open final.
Now, it seemed like the teenager was heading towards the title, breaking early in the final set and leading already 3-0 and 30-15. But Kasatkina was able to find another gear and that proved to be decisive.
She won six of the last seven games of the match to win 6-0, 4-6, 6-4, and win her second WTA 500 title of the season after also lifting the Eastbourne International trophy earlier this year.
For Andreeva, the final loss will certainly be disappointing, but the teenager has her whole tennis career ahead of her, and this was certainly not her last final.