Mirra Andreeva produced a stunning performance on Wednesday to defeat Maria Sakkari in the Australian Open second round.
Andreeva, who recently revealed her training focus, dominated the former world number three throughout the contest, eventually securing a 6-0, 6-4 victory.
Andreeva has been tipped to become the world number one, and she could go a step closer to achieving that goal if she registers an impressive Australian Open run.
The Russian star, 18, will face Romanian player Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the third round.
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Credit: Sofascore
Andreeva’s comprehensive victory against Sakkari confirmed her status as a major contender for the Australian Open title, and she will hope to carry her good form into the next round against Ruse.
Mirra Andreeva has won consecutive 6-0 sets in Melbourne
As per statisticians OptaAce, Mirra Andreeva is the youngest player to claim consecutive 6-0 sets in the Australian Open Women’s Singles since 2000.
Andreeva ‘bagelled’ Donna Vekic in the last set of their first round clash, before Andreeva claimed a second consecutive 6-0 set against Sakkari.
The youngest player to achieve the feat before Andreeva was Anna Kournikova – the former world number eight.
Kournikova, a two-time Grand Slam doubles champion, achieved the feat when she defeated Patricia Wartusch 6-0, 6-0 in the 2000 Australian Open first round.
Kournikova, the 11th seed, reached the fourth round before losing to Lindsay Davenport – the 1999 Wimbledon Women’s Singles champion.
Who could Andreeva play in the fourth round?
If Andreeva defeats Ruse, she will play Elina Svitolina or Dian Shnaider in the Australian Open round of 16.
Svitolina, who recently won the ASB Classic, has defeated Cristina Bucsa and Linda Klimovicova, while Shnaider has beaten Barbora Krejcikova and Talia Gibson.
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Andreeva won her only previous match against Svitolina, defeating the Ukrainian 7-5, 6-3 at the 2025 Indian Wells Masters.
As for Shnaider, Andreeva has won both of their two previous matches: at the 2024 Brisbane International and 2026 Adelaide International.
After defeating Sakkari on Wednesday, Andreeva told reporters: “Yeah, felt like I started the match really solid. I didn’t have a lot of unforced errors.
“I was playing pretty aggressive, going for my shots. Super happy with how I played today. Happy that it didn’t go to three sets ’cause she also stepped into the match and started playing better in the second set. Just overall happy with my performance.”
