Russia's Mirra Andreeva secured her first WTA title on Friday, July 26, by winning the 2024 Iasi Open. She bettered Elina Avanesyan in the all-Russian final held at Baza Sportiva Ciric in Iasi, Romania.
Andreeva and Avanesyan produced engrossing tennis as the first two sets saw 12 games each. Avanesya clinched the opening set with three break points and the 17-year-old took the following set with three break points as well.
The thrilling battle eventually ended prematurely as Avanesyan suffered an injury in the decider and decided to quit trailing 5-7, 7-5, 4-0 after two hours and 19 minutes.
Andreeva notably marked her victory with a hilarious winner's speech. She lifted the WTA 250 trophy to open her tally on the tour and thanked herself on the mic invoking laughter from the ones in attendance.
"At the last but not least, I would also like to thank me for always fighting till the end especially today with such a tough battle from Elina. Also, I would like to thank me for not quitting and just staying out there and fighting my, I don’t know if I can say this, a** off. So yeah, just thanks to me," Mirra Andreeva said.
She then extended her gratitude to everyone who added to the week that culminated in her crowning.
"Thanks to everyone for this week, it was an amazing week for me. For sure, it’s going to stay in my heart for a very very long time," she added.
Andreeva entered the main draw as the first seed and went past the likes of Noma Noha Akugue, Aliaksandra Sasnovich, Lea Boskovic, and Olga Danilovic during the tournament.
Mirra Andreeva to start her Paris Olympics 2024 singles campaign against Poland's Magda Linette
Mirra Andreeva's next stop is Roland Garros in Paris, the city hosting the 2024 Olympics. She's set to take on Poland's Magda Linette in the first round of the women's singles event.
Linette also enters the quadrennial event on the back of a recent title win as she defeated compatriot Magdalena Frech 6-2, 6-1 in the final of the 2024 Prague Open.
Andreeva and Linette have met each other on the court only once thus far. They battled in the third round of the 2023 Madrid Open where the Russian registered a 6-3, 6-3 win.
Notably, Mirra Andreeva won't be playing under the Russian flag at the 2024 Paris Olympics as Russia has been denied entry into the Games in light of the Ukraine War. She will have her name under AIN, short for 'Athletes Individuels Neutres' in French.