Mirra Andreeva too strong for Mboko in one-sided Adelaide final

Mirra Andreeva claimed a straightforward victory over World No.17 Victoria Mboko to win the final of the Adelaide International. The 18-year-old Russian secured the first title of the season and the fifth of her career with an emphatic 6-3, 6-1 win after just over one hour of play.

It was a teenage showdown, in which Andreeva appeared to be the more experienced player — despite being a year younger than the Canadian — and she fully capitalised on her favourite status. After a strong start from Mboko, who won three games in a row, Andreeva took complete control of the match, winning 11 of the next 12 games to seal the title.

The opening set began with a tightly contested first game, with Andreeva reacting well from the baseline, but Mboko quickly imposed herself with her serve to take the early lead. A quick break for the Canadian put her in front, and within minutes — after another solid service game — she moved ahead 3-0.

Andreeva wasted little time in getting to work. After finding herself three games down, she took control of the match as Mboko became increasingly erratic. The Russian settled in on serve, holding comfortably in her following service games, while Mboko’s effectiveness dropped sharply. Andreeva reeled off three consecutive breaks and six games in a row to claim the first set 6-3.

The second set started perfectly for Andreeva, who earned an immediate break and raced ahead to a 3-0 lead with strong service games. Mboko looked stuck in a difficult moment she struggled to escape, winning just 50% of points on her first serve and 33% on her second serve in the opening set — numbers that did not improve in the second.

The Canadian managed a brief respite by holding serve after a lengthy game to narrow the gap to 1-3, but it would be her only game of the set. Mboko was far from the level she had shown throughout the week, while Andreeva was clinical: she landed 80% of first serves, winning 81% of those points, and dropped only four service points in the entire set.

The Russian went on to win the next three games in a row, securing her fifth break of the match, and closed out the victory with an almost flawless final set.

It was a 6-3, 6-1 victory in just over an hour, as the 18-year-old star once again showed why she is the most reliable teenager on tour so far. Andreeva will remain World No.7 heading into the start of next week.

She now travels to Melbourne, where she is seeded No.8 and faces a tough opening-round clash against Olympic silver medallist Donna Vekic. Mboko, meanwhile, will take on another teenager at the Australian Open, facing 17-year-old local wildcard Emerson Jones.