"Mirra Andreeva is what people think Joao Fonseca is" - Fans bemoan lack of recognition for Russian teen after she wins maiden WTA 1000 title in Dubai

Several fans compared the respective hypes surrounding Mirra Andreeva and Joao Fonseca. Andreeva recently made waves by becoming the first 17-year-old to win a WTA 1000 event with her title triumph at the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships. Fonseca, 18, also tasted his maiden ATP Tour-level title success at the Argentina Open earlier this month.

At the 2025 Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships, Mirra Andreeva defeated Clara Tauson in straight sets in the final. Perhaps more impressively, the Russian came out on top against Major winners Marketa Vondrousova, Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina across the previous rounds of the WTA 1000 tournament. Andreeva previously reached the semifinals of the 2024 French Open.

Joao Fonseca was in a league of his own at the 2025 Argentina Open, dropping only three sets on his way to the ATP 250 title. While Fonseca did beat No. 8 and No. 5 seeds Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Francisco Cerundolo respectively in the tournament, the 18-year-old didn't have to play against a Grand Slam champion or a top 10-ranked player.

Fonseca though, had a miserable outing on home soil at the Rio Open shortly after his success in Argentina. The Brazilian was ousted in the first round by Alexandre Muller, who has reached the final of the ATP 500 event, where he is set to face Sebastian Baez. Furthermore, Fonseca's Major debut at this year's Australian Open ended in a second-round exit following his shocking first-round win against Andrey Rublev.

These developments prompted several tennis fans on X (formerly Twitter) to suggest that the hype surrounding Joao Fonseca is far more compared to that of Mirra Andreeva.

"Andreeva is what people think Fonseca is," a fan wrote.

"Impossible not to wonder how much bigger the hype would be around Mirra Andreeva if she were from another country," opined tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg.

"Mirra Andreeva deserves the same recognition as Joao Fonseca.. if not more," another fan chimed in.

Here are some more reactions from fans who compared the recognition coming Andreeva and Fonseca's way:

"Andreeva is a better talent than the overrated Brazilian Fonseca," wrote one fan.

"Why does the whole world talk only abt Fonseca as tennis prodigy when we have Mirra Andreeva?" another questioned.

"Mirra Andreeva 17 years old already Master Champion and Slam SF. But she doesn't even have half the praise that is given or written to Joao Fonseca!," yet another fan weighed in.

Andreeva, beaming with pride after her title triumph in Dubai, thanked herself for the performances she put in against some of the world's best women's singles players at the WTA 1000 event.

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"Today was not easy but I chose to be there" - Mirra Andreeva on Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships final outing

Mirra Andreeva strikes a pose with the 2025 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships trophy (Source: Getty)

Andreeva reflected on her performance in the final of the 2025 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships during the post-match winner's speech. The 17-year-old voiced a thankful message for herself, saying:

"Last but not least I'd like to thank me. I know what I've been dealing with so I want to thank me for always believing in me I want to thank me for never quitting and always dealing with the pressure. Today was not easy but I chose to be there 100% so I thank myself for that."

Andreeva's Dubai success is set to result in a WTA top-10 breakthrough for the youngster. Meanwhile, Fonseca is currently ranked No. 68 on the ATP Tour rankings.