Sixteen-year-old Mirra Andreeva has added another milestone to a fast-growing list of achievements. The 2023 WTA Newcomer of the Year stunned No.6 seed and three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur in the second round of the Australian Open on Wednesday, 6-0, 6-2, for her first career Top 10 victory.
Andreeva last featured inside Rod Laver Arena in the junior girls' singles final 12 months ago, where she lost to good friend Alina Korneeva in a three-set, 3-hour and 18-minute marathon. But she needed just 54 minutes on Melbourne's main court to knock out sixth-seeded Jabeur -- the second Top 10 seed to lose in the tournament so far after No.7 seed and Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova was bounced in the first round -- and reach the third round of the Australian Open in her tournament main-draw debut.
"I was really nervous before the match, because I'm really inspired by Ons, by the way she plays," Andreeva said on-court afterwards. "In the first set, I showed amazing tennis. I honestly didn't expect that from myself. I just wanted to go and play on this big court for the second time, just to enjoy tennis, just to enjoy the time, and I did."
Read on for more facts and stats from Andreeva's statement victory.
A star is born 🌟
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 17, 2024
16-year-old Mirra Andreeva stuns No. 6 seed Jabeur 6-0 6-2 to reach the third round!#AusOpen • @wwos • @espn • @eurosport • @wowowtennis pic.twitter.com/l71yoKhOXw
2: For the second straight year, Jabeur is out of the Australian Open in the second round. Last year, she was beaten by Vondrousova in a match that was also played in the main stadium.
3: Andreeva is through to the third round of a Grand Slam tournament for the third time in her career. Last season, she reached the last 32 at Roland Garros and Wimbledon -- making the fourth round at the latter.
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4: Last year, the teenager went 0-4 against Top 10 players. She won a set in two of those matches -- against Coco Gauff at Roland Garros and Elena Rybakina at Wimbledon.
8: Andreeva lost just eight points in a 20-minute opening set, showing no nerves as she took on the player she's dubbed one of her "idols." She hit seven winners to three unforced errors in six games, while Jabeur was undone by 10 miscues to just four winners.
That was something special ✨
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 17, 2024
16-year-old Mirra Andreeva takes the opener 6-0 against No. 6 seed Jabeur!#AusOpen • #AO2024@wwos • @espn • @eurosport • @wowowtennis pic.twitter.com/Uci8DiXPEZ
24: Jabuer hit 24 unforced errors in all, nearly double Andreeva's total of 13. She only hit nine winners to Andreeva's 13.
85: Andreeva won 85% of her first-serve points, and only faced one break point in the match. Jabeur, meanwhile, only won 42% of her first-serve points, and was broken five times.
1999: Andreeva is the second-youngest player in the Open Era to concede three games or fewer against a Top 10 seed at a Grand Slam behind Jelena Dokic, who upset then-No.1 Martina Hingis in the first round of Wimbledon in 1999, 6-0, 6-2.
2020: Andreeva is the first player aged 17 or younger to defeat a Top 10 player at the Australian Open since Gauff defeated then-defending champion Naomi Osaka in the third round of the 2019 tournament.