If proof were needed that tennis can turn in a heartbeat, Mirra Andreeva delivered it in the Adelaide final on Saturday. Facing a surging Victoria Mboko, fresh off a quarterfinal win over the defending champion, the Russian seized control early and never relented, powering her way to the Adelaide International title. And later, the victory was capped by a cheeky post-match remark that left both crowd and commentators momentarily stunned.

At the trophy ceremony, Mirra Andreeva congratulated herself with a smile. She delivered a speech that quickly won over the crowd. 

“Thanks to me. I wanna thank myself for being brave in all the matches I played,” she said, laughing. “I guess my team comes next, but I do feel like it was all me. I wanna thank myself for pushing myself every day on practices the last few weeks. I wanna thank myself for changing my mentality for fighting til the very last point.” The moment set the tone for a memorable night in Adelaide.

She continued with the same playful honesty. “For doing what I gotta do. Doing what my team tells me to do, sometimes with complaining, but it’s okay. I guess thanks to me and thanks to everyone again,” she added. The crowd responded warmly.

Andreeva backed up the humor with fearless tennis all week. Her level never dipped across the tournament. From the R16 onward, she was ruthless on return. She recorded 21 breaks of serve in just 63 games. Those numbers underlined her control from the baseline.

Her serving was just as effective. Andreeva won 89 of 125 first-serve points. That figure sat just above 71%. It gave her constant scoreboard pressure and allowed her to dictate rallies early.

However, the final against Mboko did not start smoothly. Andreeva fell behind 3-0 in the opening set. Mboko arrived full of confidence after beating defending champion Madison Keys in the quarterfinals. She had also won her semifinal against Kimberly Birrell in under an hour.

From that moment, Andreeva flipped the match completely. She won nine games in a row. In total, she captured 12 of the final 13 games. The result was a dominant 6-3, 6-1 victory in just 64 minutes to seal the Adelaide title.

The numbers from the final told the same story. Andreeva broke Mboko five times. She won 75% of her first-serve points and 67% on her second. 

She finished with 15 winners and only 11 unforced errors. Her forehand and backhand consistency kept Mboko constantly off balance.

This title marked another milestone in Andreeva’s rise. It was her fourth WTA title. It was also her first at the WTA 500 level. 

For Mboko, fitness became a concern. She took a medical timeout in the second set. After the match, she acknowledged the challenge. “Sorry I couldn’t be 100%, but I want to give a huge congrats to Mirra for playing incredible tennis today and her team, of course, too.”

Andreeva now turns her attention to Melbourne. She will open her AO campaign on Monday against Donna Vekic. She has reached the fourth round in each of the past two years. The Adelaide win lifts her to No. 7 in the WTA Rankings, moving past the Italian Jasmine Paolini.

And speaking of the Russian, Andreeva’s self-praise after the match was nothing new in Adelaide, as her light-hearted trophy-ceremony moment had already made headlines last year.

Mirra Andreeva channels Snoop Dogg vibes after Indian Wells triumph

Even before Adelaide, Mirra Andreeva had already embraced the spotlight for self-praise. On March 16 last year, she produced a stunning comeback in Indian Wells. After losing the first set, she defeated World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 in front of a roaring Californian crowd.

After that win, the young Russian addressed the fans with words full of emotion. The speech quickly caught attention. It was also a clear nod to American rap star Snoop Dogg. 

“Last but not least, I would again like to thank myself for fighting until the end for always believing in me and for never quitting,” said Andreeva.

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The reference traced back to Snoop Dogg’s famous moment in 2018. During his Hollywood Walk of Fame induction, he surprised the audience. His bold “I want to thank me” line first drew laughter before becoming iconic.

That was not Andreeva’s first such moment. Earlier in February, she won the Dubai Tennis Championships. After outclassing Clara Tauson in the final, she once again turned the praise inward. Her words reflected honesty and confidence under pressure.

“I’d like to thank me. I know what I’ve been dealing with, so I want to thank me for always believing in me,” she said. “I want to thank me for never quitting and always dealing with the pressure. Today was not easy, but I chose to be there 100%, so I thank myself for that.”

The theme has followed her ever since. Even in Adelaide today, Andreeva posed for photos with the trophy. She wore a Nike jacket with familiar words printed boldly. 

“I want to thank myself – Mirra” stood out clearly.

Now, with the Adelaide crown secured, Andreeva turns her focus to Melbourne. As she marches toward the Australian Open, confidence is clearly high. 

Do you think she can lift the Australian Open trophy this year?