An enticing duel unfolded between the 3-times Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur (No. 6) and the 16-year-old young star Mirra Andreeva (No. 47). The Russian claimed an imposing victory with a scoreline of 6-0, 6-2, advancing to the third round of the 2024 Australian Open and eliminating one of the top seeds early on.
Andreeva kicked off the season at the Brisbane International with three convincing victories, including a win against the 4th seed Lidumila Samsonova (No. 14), but fell in the quarterfinals to Linda Noskova (No. 50). In the first round, she had little trouble overcoming Bernarda Pera (No. 71) with a score of 7-5, 6-2.
Jabeur didn't play any official matches before the Aussie Open and defeated Ukrainian Yulia Starodubtseva, who had come through the qualifiers, with a score of 6-3, 6-1.
The Russian started the match at a high level, taking only 20 minutes to claim the first set. Andreeva had a commanding start, both in serving and returning. The 16-year-old had an 81% first serve and won 85% of them, while Jabeur managed only a 50% first serve, winning 38% of them.
Jabeur tried to move her opponent in rallies to prevent her from hitting comfortably, but the Russian was impeccable in her returns, leading to frustration for her rival. The former world No. 2 committed 10 unforced errors compared to Andreeva's three.
Andreeva took a toilet break between sets, and Jabeur had a lengthy conversation with her coach in search of changes. Upon their return to the court, Jabeur started by winning her first game of the match with her serve. Nevertheless, Andreeva once again had no issues with her service and then secured another break, giving her a 2-1 advantage.
Jabeur had her first break point in the fourth game of the set, but she couldn't convert it either. Andreeva dominated until the end of the match, and Jabeur could only salvage one more game with her serve. The Russian closed out the match with an impressive 6-0, 6-2 scoreline and awaits the winner between Russian Kamila Rakhimova (No. 90) and young Frenchwoman Diane Parry (No. 72) in the third round.
Andreeva d. Ons Jabeur 6-0 6-2 Today, a 16 year old got the chance to play her idol Her idol just happens to be a 3 time GS Finalist & modern day icon in the Arab world ✅1st top 10 win She took her chance She rose to the challenge The story of Mirra keeps getting better ❤️
