DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Mirra Andreeva returns to the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships this week not merely as a participant, but as the defending champion, a status that brings a new level of recognition and expectation. The 18-year-old Russian secured her breakthrough WTA 1000 title here last season, defeating Clara Tauson 7-6 (1), 6-1, a victory that propelled her into the top 10 of the PIF WTA Rankings – a position she currently maintains.
“Compared to last year – obviously now people that maybe are staying here because they see faces of players – they recognize me more,” Andreeva said Sunday during media day. “I don’t mind. I kind of like the attention from people, from media. I don’t mind when that happens.” She recounted noticing her own image displayed at the hotel, a visual confirmation of her success and a source of motivation as she aims to defend her title.
Andreeva’s 2026 season began with a dominant performance at the Adelaide International last month, where she claimed her first WTA 500 victory with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Victoria Mboko. However, their subsequent encounter at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open in Doha saw Mboko emerge victorious in a closely contested match, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5). Andreeva acknowledged the difficulty of that loss, particularly after holding a match point, but emphasized the importance of learning from setbacks.
“That match was something,” Andreeva stated. “It was very intriguing to play against her. I caught myself that I was actually feeling a lot of adrenaline, a lot of excitement in the third set during the match. That doesn’t happen often. I actually enjoyed the match a lot. I don’t lose a lot of matches from having a match point also, so that was also a little bit tricky to handle after the match. If I were to lose, I don’t mind losing to someone who would be playing the final. Now I have to focus on what’s going to happen here and my matches in Dubai. We lose every week. It’s just important on how you handle those losses and how you head into the next tournament.”
The possibility of a rematch with Mboko looms in Dubai, with both players potentially meeting in the Round of 16. Andreeva, seeded No. 5, received a bye into the second round and will face the winner of the match between Laura Siegemund and Daria Kasatkina. Kasatkina’s participation was initially uncertain, but she withdrew from the tournament on Tuesday due to a right hip injury, according to tournament officials. This advancement to the third round came via walkover for Andreeva.
Despite her defending champion status, Andreeva recognizes the unique challenges of returning to a tournament with heightened expectations. “I’m just super excited to play here,” she said. “Obviously I’m going to do everything I can to strive and defend the title because What we have is the first time I approach to the tournament as a defending champion. It’s also something new for me. I can’t wait to play my first match here and we will see how it goes.”
Belinda Bencic, the 2019 champion and No. 9 seed, also advanced to the third round via walkover after Sara Bejlek withdrew due to an abdominal injury. Bencic will now face either No. 7 seed Elina Svitolina or Paula Badosa in the next round.
