With Wimbledon in full flow and plenty of giant-killings in the opening rounds of both the men’s and women’s singles draws, teenage star Mirra Andreeva is stealing the show.
Russia’s Andreeva is just 18 years old but already has three WTA titles to her name since making her main-draw tour debut in 2022.
In 2023, she defeated Anastasia Potapova to become the youngest player to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon since Coco Gauff achieved the same feat as a 16-year-old in 2019.
A productive 2024 saw Andreeva reach the semi-finals of the French Open aged 17 before going on to claim an Olympic silver medal alongside Diana Shnaider in the women’s doubles category.
Mirra Andreeva’s eye-catching Wimbledon tilt
While she crashed out of Wimbledon in the first round against Brenda Fruhvirtova last year, Andreeva has returned with aplomb in 2025 and looks a threat in a wide-open women’s singles draw.
She saw off Egypt’s Maray Sherif in straight sets earlier this week to get up and running, and her progress hasn’t slowed since.
In her second round clash with Lucia Bronzetti, Andreeva scorched her opponent in the opening set, dropping just one game in a 6-1 opener before the second set tested her resolve.
Bronzetti was in defiant form as she fought tooth and nail to keep her own Wimbledon ambitions alive, and while the second was a much closer affair, Andreeva showed her mettle to see out the tiebreak and claim a straight-sets win.
She will move on to face Hailey Baptiste in the third round on Friday, and the warning signs have been there for her opponents, especially considering recent comparisons to Carlos Alcaraz.
Martina Navratilova’s high praise for Mirra Andreeva
When the plaudits come from tennis royalty like Martina Navratilova, there is cause for both fans and players to sit up and take notice, and the nine-time Wimbledon winner has been glowing in her praise of Andreeva.
Assessing Andreeva’s glittering spring form, which saw her defeat Grand Slam winners Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina on her way to victory at the Dubai Tennis Championships in February, Navratilova described her as ‘complete’ and went as far as to liken her to Alcaraz.
“She is a complete player, Mirra. I actually compare her to Carlos Alcaraz,” Navratilova told wtatennis.com. “She doesn’t have the power of some other players, but she hits the ball really well, down the lines and defends. That’s what reminded me of Alcaraz.
“She turned defence into offence. She had Sabalenka scratching her head – ‘What do I have to do to win the point?’ That’s how people feel playing him [Alcaraz].
“I mean, the way she plays is more like [Justine] Henin,” she continued. “She’s got the slice and is really great down the line on both sides.
“Henin attacked the down-the-line return. Moved well, but Mirra has a bigger serve and a bigger game.”
Andreeva is also in doubles action in SW19, where she will reunite with Olympic partner Shnaider as the pair take on Heather Watson and Emily Appleton on Thursday evening.