Imago
Mirra Andreeva, Victoria Mboko
Imago
Mirra Andreeva, Victoria Mboko
When Mirra Andreeva and Victoria Mboko met at the Butch Buchholz Court last month in Miami, it turned into a real battle. After more than two hours, Mboko came through with a 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-0 win. Andreeva had been chasing the match for much of the time and even looked in discomfort during the second set, taking a medical timeout for her hip at 6-7, 4-3. Once play resumed, she showed fight, winning two of the next three games to push it into a decider.
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But what stood out most came at the end. Andreeva made sure to apologize to Mboko, and the two shared a warm hug, walking off the court on good terms, just as they had come in.
Moreover, the bond between Mirra Andreeva and Victoria Mboko goes well beyond just teaming up in doubles. Off the court, they’re just as supportive of each other. In fact, the Canadian once summed it up perfectly: “We are great friends. I’m always rooting for her, and she’s rooting for me. We text all the time.”
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So when Mirra Andreeva made her return to the Linz Open after missing it last year, her close friend Victoria Mboko labeled her with a special tag, calling her “Supastarrr.”
Mirra Andreeva put in solid performances throughout the competition and clinched the title with a hard-fought 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory over Anastasia Potapova in the final. This was Andreeva’s second title of the year as she had previously triumphed at the Brisbane International earlier in January. This was indeed a big win for the Russian, and the Canadian acknowledged it with a heartwarming response.
The two share a well-known friendship. Mirra Andreeva had opened up about their bond ahead of her clash with Victoria Mboko in the final of the Adelaide International. They’ve known each other for the past six years and have been on good terms ever since.nce.
“I know Vicky since I’m 12, so it’s also more or less the same situation like today. She’s been playing great tennis, last season especially. She won a [WTA] 1000 title. I felt like she’s been playing well, and she’s been raising her level tournament to tournament,” Andreeva said before meeting Mboko in the finals of Adelaide International.
Previewing their finals match in Adelaide, the Russian further added, “I think it’s going to be a great match. It’s going to be very entertaining. She’s a very nice girl. I think that we’re good friends. Yeah, it’s going to be a very nice match, super interesting.”
Notably, the final in Adelaide was the first time that the two had met in a tour-level match. Though Andreeva had managed to claim a comfortable 6-3, 6-1 victory on the day, there seemed to be no hard feelings from Mboko’s side.
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They would then meet in the Round of 16 of the Qatar Open, and this time, it was Mboko who came out on top 3-6, 6-3, 7-6. A similar story would follow at the Miami Open as the two clashed once again in the last 16. The Canadian recorded a hard-fought victory over Andreeva, who suffered a back injury during the match.
Interestingly, the two had also formed a pair for the doubles draw in Miami but had to withdraw from their second-round clash against Jessica Pegula and Storm Hunter due to Andreeva’s injury.
However, the Russian ended up making a steady recovery and didn’t miss any tournament. Her triumph in Austria showed that she has fully recovered and is ready for the tough clay-court season ahead.
Andreeva began her Linz Open campaign from the Round of 16 after getting first round bye. She recorded a comprehensive 6-4, 6-2 victory over Sloane Stephens in her opening match before tackling Sorana Cîrstea in the quarterfinals. The latter would give a tough fight but would eventually end up falling short as Andreeva won 7-6, 4-6, 6-2 to march into the semis.
A one-sided 6-4, 6-1 victory over Elena-Gabriela Ruse would see Andreeva reach the final in style. Her opponent in the penultimate match would be Anastasia Potapova, who hadn’t dropped a set in the tournament at that stage. She would keep that record in-tact by winning the opening set of the final.
With Potapova playing in front of her home crowd, all the odds were stacked against Andreeva. However, the 18-year-old refused to give up and fought her way to clinch the second set. She would keep up the intensity in the third set and would go on to complete a stunning comeback. It was a grueling match to say the least as both players gave it their all on the court and left the crowd thoroughly entertained.
After claiming a well-deserved victory in the final, Andreeva had a few words to say for Potapova, who came up short despite putting in a phenomenal effort.
Mirra Andreeva heaps praise on Anastasia Potapova after the Linz final
“First of all, I want to say congrats to Nastia for such an amazing week. You’re an amazing competitor. You have been playing amazing today. You really pushed me to my limits. I was struggling a lot on how to find a solution to play against you today,” she said during her winner’s speech.
Potapova also addressed Andreeva in her speech and wished her the best of luck for the upcoming tournaments.
“First of all, I want to say good job to Mirra. You’re an unbelievable player. You’re so young. You have so many years ahead of you. I just wish you to complete all your dreams because you really deserve it. Congrats.”
Andreeva now has five WTA titles under her belt and is ranked No. 9 in the world. Her performances keep on getting better year-by-year and it remains to be seen how many titles she will have by the end of the season.
Andreeva will be in action at the Stuttgart Open next. She has been drawn against defending champion Jelena Ostapenko in the opening round itself. Will the Russian be able to make a deep run in her second clay tournament of the year, or will she bow out in the first few rounds?
Written by
Edited by
Purva Jain