Andreeva marches into Adelaide final for teen showdown with Mboko

Mirra Andreeva has enjoyed as strong a start to her career as you could ask for. At just 18, she already owns three WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz titles, one at the 250 level and the two WTA 1000 trophies she won last season.

Adelaide: Scores | Draws | Order of play

One milestone still missing from her résumé is a WTA 500 title. That could change soon, as Andreeva defeated friend and doubles partner Diana Shnaider 6-3, 6-2 in 1 hour and 23 minutes on Friday to reach the Adelaide final -- the fifth final of her career.

She’ll face fellow teenager Victoria Mboko, who needed less than an hour to defeat local favorite Kimberly Birrell earlier in the day and book her own spot in the final.

“Vicky, she’s a great player,” Andreeva said in her on-court interview. “She had an amazing season last year and I’ve known her since I was 12 years old.

“I think it’s going to be an amazing match. She’s been playing well since the beginning of the year, already. I think I’ve been playing not bad as well, so I think it’s going to be a great match tomorrow and I hope you guys come and support us.”

Andreeva may not have finished off her opponent as quickly as Mboko did, but her performance was equally convincing.

The World No. 8 spotted Shnaider a 3-1 lead early in the first set before flipping the match in a marathon game that featured three Andreeva forehand winners, four deuces and four break points. She finally converted on the fourth to get back on serve.

From there, Andreeva reeled off six straight games, including five in a row to close out the opening set. Shnaider briefly halted the run with a hold for 1-1 in the second, and the players traded holds to 3-2 before Andreeva broke to love to erase any lingering suspense.

It was the second of four straight games she won to finish the match, sealing it with yet another improbable get, a theme of her afternoon.

Here’s how she got it done:

Forehand, forehand, forehand: It almost undersells Andreeva’s performance to say she won the match with her forehand, given how strong her serve and backhand were. But the forehand repeatedly delivered in big moments, not through sheer power, but precision.

Take the first of her three forehand winners in that pivotal 3-1 game in the first set. After chasing down a ball well outside the right side of the court, she carved a clean forehand back into play for a winner that helped spark the break.

Finding time: That point was one of many where Andreeva appeared to be out of position early in the rally, only to buy herself enough time to reset and strike.

In no game was this on better display than at 1-1 in the second set. First, she survived a 15-shot rally in which Shnaider controlled nearly every exchange, that is until Andreeva stole the point with what can only be described as an innate level of calmness. 

Midway through the rally, she got to a Shnaider backhand that seemed destined for the winner column before utilizing a lob to give her a hard reset. A few shots later, she took a ball on the rise and sent a perfectly measured backhand down the line for the winner, just clipping the edge of the white.

A few points later at deuce, she outlasted Shnaider again in a 19-shot rally. This time, she used her opponent’s pace against her, taking speed off her balls, tracking down another near-impossible get, spinning 180 degrees to recover, and eventually angling a backhand winner out of Shnaider’s reach to secure the hold.

What’s next: She’ll need that same precision and agility on Saturday against Mboko, who is peaking at just the right time.

While Andreeva has yet to drop a set this week, Mboko knocked off defending champion Madison Keys in the quarterfinals and followed it with the dominant showing against Birrell. The Canadian will be making her third appearance in a WTA final, aiming to run her record to a perfect 3-0.

Though the two rose through the juniors ranks together, this will be their first meeting at the WTA level. 

Fun fact: they nearly met in the 2022 US Open girls’ singles semifinals, but Alexandra Eala stopped Andreeva in the quarterfinals en route to the title.