Get to know teen phenom Mirra Andreeva

She is the youngest player to ever reach the round of 16 at a WTA 1000 tournament – Mirra Andreeva is enjoying a historic week in Madrid where she celebrated her 16th birthday by defeating Australian Open semi-finalist Madga Linette on Saturday.

Find out more about the talented teenager ahead of her last-16 showdown against Aryna Sabalenka at the Caja Magica on Monday.

She is undefeated in professional matches this season

Yes, you read that right!

After spending a couple of months at the start of the year competing on the junior circuit, making three finals from three events, including the Australian Open girls’ singles event, Andreeva stepped up to the professional tour in April, and she hasn’t lost a match since.

She won the W60 ITF tournament in Chiasso, as a qualifier, then followed that up by clinching the W60 title in Bellinzona.

Those back-to-back triumphs in Switzerland made her the first player to win two or more W60 titles before the age of 16.

Entered as a wildcard at the WTA 1000 showpiece in Madrid, Andreeva extended her unbeaten record in pro matches this season to 16-0 with upsets over US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez, No.13 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia and No.17 seed Linette.

She is the third youngest player to win a main-draw match at a WTA 1000 tournament, behind Coco Gauff and Cici Bellis.

She’s well aware of how good she is

Following her 6-3, 6-3 win over Linette on Saturday, which coincided with her 16th birthday, Andreeva said in an interview with the Tennis Channel this breakthrough week is not a big shock for her.

"I'm not really surprised with my level, because I know the way I can play on the court ... but of course, I didn't expect to be here and go this far,” she admitted.

Speaking to WTA Insider in Madrid after her second-round win, Andreeva said: “Everyone was telling me they (high-ranked players) are playing the same level as you, they are just more consistent. Their mental level is different but the game-level is almost the same.”

Andreeva was ranked outside the top 300 when she began playing ITF in April. She will rise to at least 117 in the world when the new rankings are released next week.

She describes her game as Jabeur-esque

When asked to describe her own game, Andreeva said it was comparable to that of crafty Tunisian Ons Jabeur.

“I can compare my game to maybe Ons Jabeur because I change the rhythm a lot, I play with topspin. I do drop shots a lot also and I change the rhythm,” Andreeva told WTA Insider.

She says she can handle an opponent’s pace quite well and notes that her backhand down-the-line is her biggest weapon.

She is based in France

Mirra, whose older sister Erika is also a tennis player and is ranked 114 in the world, started playing tennis in Siberia, where she was born, before moving to Sochi and eventually to Cannes, where she currently trains at the Elite Tennis Center under coaches Jean-René Lisnard and Jean-Christophe Faurel.

The Andreeva sisters have been there since the start of 2022.

She is an Andy Murray fan

Mirra has been soaking up her first WTA 1000 experience and based on this interview with Tennis Channel, it seems the 16-year-old is quite the Andy Murray fan.

“The atmosphere here is so special. When you take a lunch with all this stars, let’s say, you see Andy Murray... you see his face and he’s so beautiful in life. He’s so amazing,” beamed Mirra.