Serena Williams shines spotlight on her 17-year-old self's incredible US Open triumph, hours after Mirra Andreeva wins Dubai title at same age

Serena Williams shared a precious throwback moment to one of her achievements when she was just 17. The moment had the former WTA No. 1 lifting the 1999 US Open trophy. She shared this after a 17-year-old Russian prodigy Mirra Andreeva won the 2025 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

In the early hours of Sunday, February 23, Williams posted an Instagram Story featuring her picture beaming with joy as she lifted the 1999 US Open women's singles trophy. The tennis legend captioned the post:

"You at 17 without cheating!"

Williams' Instagram Story dated Sunday, February 23, 2025, featuring herself lifting the 1999 US Open women's singles trophy (Source: Instagram/Serena Williams)

At the 1999 US Open, Serena Williams reached the women's singles final after defeating Kimberly Po, Jelena Kostanic, Kim Clijsters, Conchita Martinez, Monica Seles and Lindsay Davenport. In the final, she registered a 6-3, 7-6(4) win against Martina Hingis, to win her maiden singles Major title and become the first African-American woman to achieve the feat in the Open Era.

On Saturday, February 22, Mirra Andreeva became the youngest winner of a WTA 1000 event after defeating Clara Tauson at the 2025 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. At 17, Andreeva won 7-6(1), 6-1, to win her second WTA Tour-level title. Interestingly, the Russian teen tennis prodigy is coached by Conchita Martinez, who was beaten by Williams in the fourth round of the 1999 US Open.

Williams won the prestigious hardcourt Major on five more occasions. She would also bid farewell to her tennis-playing career at the 2022 edition of the Grand Slam.

"I was there to keep going and to keep winning" - When Serena Williams reflected on US Open 2022 disappointment

Serena Williams at the 2022 US Open (Source: Getty)

Serena Williams' illustrious tennis career came to a rather shocking end at the 2022 US Open, after the legend surprisingly lost her third-round match against Ajla Tomljanovic. In 2023, the American reflected on the defeat during an appearance on CBS Mornings.

"I was actually not very happy at all. Just because of the result. I was there to keep going and to keep winning. And yeah, it was more or less like, ‘I can’t believe I let that match go’ more than anything, you know," Williams said.

Meanwhile, 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva would hope to make a mark on the Grand Slam stage soon. The Russian mustered a deep run at the 2024 French Open, reaching the semifinals before losing to eventual runner-up Jasmine Paolini.