Preview WTA Adelaide International Semifinals: Andreeva faces her doubles partner as Mboko takes on local surprise
WTAThursday, 15 January 2026 at 22:00
Only the final players remain in contention in the last stop before the Australian Open, and this Friday the finalists of the WTA 500 Adelaide International will be decided. The final will be played on Saturday, before the remaining players travel to Melbourne for the first Grand Slam of the year.
It has been a tournament where young players have shone, led by Victoria Mboko and Mirra Andreeva. The Canadian eliminated defending champion Madison Keys in the quarter-finals and, after three tight three-set matches, has reached the semi-finals of a WTA tournament for the third time in her career—winning the title on both previous occasions. She will face Australian wildcard Kimberly Birrell.
On the other side of the draw, top seed Mirra Andreeva has cruised through her two matches, dropping just six games in total across victories over Marie Bouzkova and Maya Joint. The 18-year-old Russian will now face her regular doubles partner Diana Shnaider, who has enjoyed an impressive run after eliminating Emma Navarro in the quarter-finals.
Youth vs home hope: Mboko meets Birrell in semi-final showdown
The 19-year-old Victoria Mboko has made a strong start to the 2026 season and has enjoyed an outstanding tournament—arguably facing the toughest path to the semi-finals. Along the way, she defeated Beatriz Haddad Maia (5-7, 6-3, 6-2), Anna Kalinskaya (6-2, 3-6, 7-6) and defending champion Madison Keys (6-4, 4-6, 6-2), with the latter marking the second Top 10 victory of her career.
Mboko has now won nine of her last ten matches, with her only loss coming against Elise Mertens at the United Cup. The Canadian has also secured her place as world No. 17 in the WTA rankings and will arrive as the favourite against the surprise of the tournament: local wildcard Kimberly Birrell (No. 107). The 27-year-old Australian has already guaranteed a rise of more than 30 ranking positions and will be chasing the third final of her career—still in search of her first title.
Victoria Mboko celebrates on court
Birrell defeated Anastasia Potapova in her opening match and then benefited from the withdrawal of former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova to reach the quarter-finals, where she edged past Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian in a tight contest.
Mboko and Birrell previously met in July 2025 in Montreal—the very WTA 1000 event that launched Mboko’s breakout run. It marked the beginning of a stunning title-winning campaign for the Canadian teenager, who dominated that first-round encounter from start to finish, firing 15 aces and winning 75% of points on serve.
Andreeva faces doubles partner Shnaider
An intriguing all-Russian clash awaits in Adelaide, featuring one of the best doubles partnerships of last season and silver medallists at the 2024 Olympic Games. World No. 8 Mirra Andreeva will take on her close friend Diana Shnaider (No. 23) in a match between two players who know each other extremely well and are expected to produce a highly tactical battle.
The 18-year-old Andreeva received a first-round bye and has since been flawless, defeating Marie Bouzkova (6-3, 6-1) and local star Maya Joint (6-2, 6-0). Coached by Conchita Martínez, Andreeva has spent just over two hours on court en route to the semi-finals and appears to have put behind her the inconsistent end to last season. She holds a 5–1 record so far this year, with her only loss coming against Marta Kostyuk in the Brisbane semi-finals. Now just one win away from the final, Andreeva will look to continue building confidence ahead of the Australian Open.
Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider at 2024 Olympic Games
Shnaider, meanwhile, will be eager to make a statement in 2026 after narrowly missing out on the Top 10 last season. She spent much of 2025 hovering around that mark, reaching a career-high ranking of No. 11 before slipping outside the Top 20. Still only 21, Shnaider has plenty of time to climb back up the rankings, and she has looked inspired this week, defeating Leylah Fernandez, Katerina Siniakova and Emma Navarro.
So far, there has been just one previous meeting between Andreeva and Shnaider, which came at the Brisbane International in 2024. On that occasion, a 16-year-old Andreeva defeated the then 19-year-old Shnaider in straight sets.
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