Mirra Andreeva is in Dubai, hoping to defend the title she won 12 months ago.
Andreeva won the biggest titles of her career in 2025, capturing the Dubai Tennis Championships and the Indian Wells Open.
At the 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships, Andreeva has reached the round of 16 without having to play a match. This is because she received a bye before Daria Kasatkina withdrew from their second-round match.
As a result, Andreeva will play Ella Seidel or Jacqueline Cristian in the last 16.
Who has impressed you the most?
Ahead of her first match at the event, Andreeva spoke about her burgeoning rivalry with Victoria Mboko, who defeated the Russian at the Qatar Open last week.
Mirra Andreeva wouldn’t mind having a rivalry with Victoria Mboko
“I do think that we might have something going on in the future like this,” Andreeva said of Mboko. “Because obviously this year we played against each other twice already.
“And I think that there are going to be so many tournaments in the future that we’re going to play against each other.
“It’s not really nice to have a rivalry with someone. But if I were to choose one player, it’s just nice to share those moments with her because I’ve known her for a long time, obviously.
“She’s a great player, so I don’t mind to have something like this going on in the future.”
Andreeva and Mboko recently achieved a feat not witnessed for 17 years on the WTA Tour. Following Mboko’s run to the Qatar Open final, she entered the WTA top 10 – meaning there are now two teenagers in the WTA top 10 since Caroline Wozniacki and Victoria Azarenka in 2009.
The pair have played each other twice before on the Tour. Andreeva defeated Mboko 6-3, 6-1 in the 2026 Brisbane International final, before the Canadian had her revenge in Doha.
Both Andreeva and Mboko are incredible talents. However, it has become clear that Mboko is the frontrunner following their clash in Qatar.
What is on the line in Dubai for Andreeva and Mboko?
For Andreeva, Dubai represents a crucial week in the 2026 WTA calendar.
Having won the 2025 event, Andreeva has 1000 points to defend in Dubai, meaning any slip-ups could see her fall down the rankings.
Do you think women should play best-of-five set matches?
As things stand, Andreeva would fall one place to world number eight if she loses her next match at the tournament.
Mboko has the opportunity to further increase her ranking. The 19-year-old Canadian did not feature in the main draw of a WTA 1000 event until the 2025 Miami Open, meaning she has no points to defend in Dubai.
