Mirra Andreeva backed to aim for ‘even bigger titles’ after breakthrough 2025 campaign.

Former world No 3 Nadia Petrova believes that rising star Mirra Andreeva can “aim for even bigger titles” in 2026 after a significant breakthrough season in 2025.

Long recognised as one of the hottest prospects in women’s tennis, Andreeva’s rise proved to be one of the biggest WTA stories of the past season — with the Russian memorably claiming two WTA 1000 titles in the opening months of the year.

The 18-year-old claimed her second career WTA title at the Dubai Tennis Championships in February, defeating both Elena Rybakina and Iga Swiatek on her way to the final, where she downed Clara Tauson.

Andreeva then followed her victory in Dubai by claiming the prestigious Indian Wells title in California, once again beating all of Tauson, Rybakina, and Swiatek, before stunning world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the final.

Her 13-match win streak, which ranged from her round one match in Dubai to the third round of the Miami Open, was the second-longest winning run on the WTA Tour this season.

Victory in Dubai and Indian Wells helped propel Andreeva inside the top 10 of the WTA Rankings, and she would later reach a new career-high of world No 5.

The next step for the 18-year-old will be to try and challenge for Grand Slam titles, having previously reached the semi-final of the French Open in 2024.

And compatriot Petrova, who reached two French Open semi-finals during her own career, has backed the teen sensation for further success in 2026.

Speaking to Championat in a new interview, the former world No 3 claimed that Andreeva was more than capable of further progression over the next twelve months.

She said (translated from Russian): “Her start to the season, her victories in Dubai and Indian Wells, have proven that at such a young age, she’s already mature enough, analyses the game, and can handle pressure.

“I still want to believe that next year could be even better for her. This could be a chance to cement her place in the top ten and aim for even bigger titles.”

Andreeva’s triumphs in Dubai and Indian Wells were followed by a solid spring and early summer, in which the 18-year-old reached the quarter-final of both Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

However, the Russian’s form and results dipped significantly once the hard-court summer began.

The teen star was beaten in the third round of the US Open by Taylor Townsend, and a disappointing Asian swing ultimately saw her just miss out on qualification for the WTA Finals — finishing the year ranked ninth in the world.

Andreeva appeared a fraught and frustrated figure on court during several matches from the spring onwards, with her emotional control sometimes called into question.

However, Petrova — the winner of 37 WTA Tour titles across singles and doubles — believes that Andreeva and her team will ultimately learn to manage her emotions and expectations.

“I think it’s age-related. You could say it’s a transitional stage in her professional career. She needs to get through this. She needs to learn to cope with her emotions and feelings,” added Petrova.

But I’ll say this in Mirra’s defence: they set specific goals with their team and achieved them very quickly. Two consecutive tournament wins, a sharp rise not even into the top ten, but into the top five. I think this was a bit of a surprise for them.

“And then there was too much media attention, too much talk, too much comparison with other top stars, the legends of this great sport. And this, of course, threw Mirra off.

She’s a smart girl, she has a good team. I think they’ll explain everything to her, explain it to her, and she’ll go out there and try to give it her all, and she’ll stabilise emotionally.”