CNN
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Rising star Mirra Andreeva became the youngest ever player to claim a WTA 1000 title on Saturday when she defeated Clara Tauson to win the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Still just 17 years and 299 days old, Andreeva also climbs into the top 10 of the world rankings with the win, becoming the youngest player to reach those heights since Nicole Vaidisova in 2007.
The Russian player took one hour and 46 minutes to defeat 22-year-old Tauson 7-6 (1), 6-1 in the final, falling to her knees in celebration as she celebrated the victory before rising to acknowledge the crowd.
In her on-court interview afterwards, she thanked her team, her family and the crowd before half-jokingly thanking herself.
“Last but not least, I would like to thank me,” she said smiling as the crowd laughed. “I know what I have been dealing with and I just want to thank me for always believing in me.”
Both players were competing in their first WTA 1000 final after enjoying stellar weeks to get there – Andreeva defeated five-time grand slam champion Iga Świątek in the quarterfinals and then world No. 7 Elena Rybakina in the semifinals while Tauson knocked out world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the round of 16.
At first, the pair were evenly matched in the final. Andreeva conceded a break immediately after hitting two consecutive double faults in her opening service game but she fought back and eventually won the set with a dominant performance in the tiebreak.
With the first set secured, Andreeva seemed more assured in the second, defending three break points to consolidate her own break at 3-1 and then winning every subsequent game to seal victory.
Since she is still under 18, there are some parts of the win she can’t enjoy yet, like sipping on a glass of champagne or having a bank account to accept the $597,000 prize money.
“All questions to my dad,” she told reporters when asked how she would spend the prize money, per the tournament’s website. “It all goes on his credit card because I don’t have my own yet. I cannot have my own bank account because I’m not 18. I’m hoping that he will leave me some to spend somewhere, to buy chips and Coke… Honestly, I don’t even know what I want.”
By entering the top 10 – she will rise from world No. 14 to No. 9 in the new WTA rankings – Andreeva said she has already achieved her year’s goal. Now, she says she will aim to be in the top five by the end of the year.
“I’m very curious if I will be able to achieve it,” she said, per the WTA.