Mirra Andreeva arrived on tour as a teenager who already played like she had been there a decade, an all-court game and a temperament that made her age hard to believe. In February 2025 she won Dubai, then three weeks later beat world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka for the Indian Wells title, back-to-back WTA 1000 crowns that made her the youngest player in the top ten in years. Guided by 1994 Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez, she competes as a neutral athlete, her Russian passport left off the scoreboard.
The tale is still being written. She reached the Roland Garros semi-finals as a 16-year-old in 2024 and again in 2026, and her 1 major title and 6 career titles read like a prologue rather than a summary. Composure sets her apart: rallies she seems to be losing get pulled back, and matches against the likes of Iga Swiatek turn on how little she flinches. She has the years to keep climbing.
Thirty-one. That is how many places Qinwen Zheng climbed in this week's WTA rankings, from No. 54 to No. 23. It puts her back inside the top 50 and within three places of the top 20, the biggest climb inside the top 100 this week.
Ranking tale54. That is Qinwen Zheng's ranking, and it did not stop her winning the China Open. The unseeded 24-year-old beat world No. 5 Mirra Andreeva 7-5, 6-4 in Beijing on Sunday, her first title since Tokyo in 2024, and she did it at home.
Match tale