Mirra Andreeva breaks Serena Williams WTA Finals record
The 19-year-old Russian became the youngest woman this century to win her first three WTA Finals singles matches.
Mirra Andreeva beat Diana Shnaider 6-2, 6-1 to complete a flawless group stage at the WTA Finals, breaking Serena Williams' age record and equalling Justine Henin's mark for fewest games dropped.
Key takeaways
- Andreeva won her first three WTA Finals singles matches at 19 years and 193 days old.
- She beat Elina Svitolina and Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 6-0 each, then Diana Shnaider 6-2, 6-1.
- She conceded just 11 games across the three group matches, equalling Justine Henin's 2007 record.
- She will face Jessica Pegula in the semi-final on Saturday.
- She is bidding to become the first Russian WTA Finals singles champion.
Mirra Andreeva has completed a flawless group stage at the WTA Finals, beating Diana Shnaider 6-2, 6-1 on Friday to become the youngest woman in the 21st century to win her first three singles matches at the year-end championships at 19 years and 193 days old.
Why it matters
The 19-year-old Russian, ranked world No 3, opened her WTA Finals campaign with 6-4, 6-0 victories over Elina Svitolina and Aryna Sabalenka before closing out the round-robin with another straight-sets win over Shnaider, who entered as an alternate following Karolina Muchova’s withdrawal due to illness.
Across those three matches, Andreeva conceded just 11 games, tying Justine Henin’s record for the fewest games dropped in the round-robin of the WTA Finals since the format’s introduction in 2003.
Henin set that mark at the 2007 WTA Finals against Jelena Jankovic, Marion Bartoli and Anna Chakvetadze.
Andreeva also breaks Serena Williams’ previous record for the youngest woman to achieve the feat this century; Williams was 20 years and 34 days old at the 2001 WTA Finals, which was held as a straight knockout.
The next youngest women to win their first three WTA Finals singles matches this century are Petra Kvitova (21 years and 230 days) in 2011, Garbine Muguruza (22 years and 17 days) in 2015, and Sloane Stephens (25 years and 216 days) in 2018.
Andreeva is the only unbeaten player left in the singles draw and is bidding to become the first Russian winner of the WTA Finals. She has never faced Jessica Pegula at a tour-level event before.
What happens next
Andreeva will take on Jessica Pegula in a semi-final on Saturday night. The winner will face either Linda Noskova or Svitolina in the championship match. Pegula has been tested by Coco Gauff and Noskova in her group stage matches.
If one of Andreeva, Pegula or Noskova wins the title, there will be a different WTA Finals winner for the 11th straight year; Svitolina would be the only repeat champion, having won the tournament in 2018.
Youngest women to win first three WTA Finals singles matches this century
Player | Age | Year |
|---|---|---|
Mirra Andreeva | 19 years and 193 days | 2026 |
Serena Williams | 20 years and 34 days | 2001 |
Petra Kvitova | 21 years and 230 days | 2011 |
Garbine Muguruza | 22 years and 17 days | 2015 |
Sloane Stephens | 25 years and 216 days | 2018 |
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