One of the most touching moments of 2024 took place after the Ningbo Open final when Daria Kasatkina consoled an emotional Mirra Andreeva during the trophy ceremony.
The 17-year-old Andreeva is incredibly talented at such a young age. She reached the fourth round of Wimbledon last year, less than three months after turning 16, creating headlines worldwide during that run.
Andreeva progressed to the semifinal of this year's French Open, including a victory against Aryna Sabalenka. She fell to Jasmine Paolini at that stage, but it was still an excellent tournament for the teenager.
Less than two months later, Andreeva became a WTA Tour titlist for the first time at the Iasi Open on clay. The No. 1 seed at the WTA-250 tournament secured her maiden title after Elina Avanesyan retired in the third set.
Andreeva broke new ground again at the Ningbo Open. She made the first WTA-500 final of her career after Karolina Muchova could not finish their semifinal because of an injury issue.
That set up a meeting in the final with the gritty and determined Kasatkina. Overcoming the 27-year-old's defense in Ningbo, where the conditions were very slow due to the humidity, promised to be challenging.
Kasatkina played a sublime first set to take it 6-0. What looked to be a close matchup on paper was surprisingly one-sided, and the match looked like it might end swiftly.
However, the contest turned out to be close, but that was mainly because Kasatkina's level dropped. The final two sets were scrappy from both women, with neither player producing the tennis they are capable of.
In the end, Kasatkina's experience probably decided the final. She recovered from 3-0 down in the third set to triumph 6-0, 4-6, 6-4, and win the eighth singles title of her career and second in 2024.
Andreeva, understandably considering her age, is known for becoming emotional, and she cried during the final in Ningbo. The 17-year-old burst into tears again after receiving the runner-up trophy.
As seen in the video below, the Ningbo Open champion did not let Andreeva stand and suffer. Kasatkina, one of the most friendly and affable people in the women's game, leaped from her chair when the teenager began to cry.
The 2022 French Open semifinalist hugged Andreeva, an act that was greeted with cheers from the crowd. Their embrace was long, and Kasatkina spoke in the Ningbo runner-up's ear while they hugged.
Andreeva already seemed to feel better afterward. She smiled at the end of the hug when Kasatkina returned to her chair before receiving the trophy for winning the title in Ningbo.
One person in the stands who seemed touched by the moment was Conchita Martinez, who is Andreeva's coach. The 1994 Wimbledon women's singles champion smiled widely when the camera cut to her after the hug.
Tennis players are competitive, and winning titles is important, but that does not mean moments of class are impossible. Kasatkina should be proud of how she reacted to seeing Andreeva in tears.