ANALYSIS : Mirra Andreeva, a candidate to win Roland Garros?

Seventeen-year-old Russian sensation Mirra Andreeva has made a seismic leap in form since her promising showing at the Australian Open. After clinching her maiden WTA 1000 title in Dubai, she followed up with another triumphant run at Indian Wells, signaling not only a dramatic evolution in her game but also a rapid rise up the rankings. With Roland Garros on the horizon, the question begs: can she make a major statement on Parisian clay?

Coming off a stellar 2024 campaign, the charismatic teenager has taken the WTA Tour by storm in early 2025. Now ranked No. 7 in the world, Andreeva has surged ten spots in the standings, thanks to her exceptional performances that include a fourth-round appearance at the Australian Open—where she fell to world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka—and back-to-back WTA 1000 crowns.

As the tour transitions from hard to clay courts, culminating in the season’s second Grand Slam, all eyes turn to Roland Garros. The question remains: how does Andreeva fare on the red dirt?

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Proven Pedigree on Clay

Despite her youth, Andreeva has already displayed an impressive affinity for clay. In 2021, she reached the semifinals at junior events in Cairo and Valencia, showcasing an early aptitude for a surface that many players struggle to master.

Since then, her trajectory has only soared. She captured ITF titles on clay in Switzerland, Spain, and France—building a solid foundation for future WTA success. At the 2022 Roland Garros juniors, she advanced to the round of 16, her only appearance in the junior draw of the French Open.

By 2023, her rapid ascent opened doors to the upper echelons of the sport. At just 15, she qualified for the main draw of the Madrid Open, making an incredible run to the fourth round before once again falling to Sabalenka. That same season, she made her Roland Garros main-draw debut. After breezing through qualifiers without dropping a set, she reached the third round, where she pushed Coco Gauff to three sets in a gripping contest that announced her arrival on the big stage.

2024: A Breakthrough Year

The 2024 season marked Andreeva’s first full year competing at the highest level—and she delivered. She improved on her Madrid result, reaching the quarterfinals with impressive wins over Taylor Townsend, Linda Noskova, Markéta Vondroušová, and Jasmine Paolini, who was ranked No. 12 at the time.

Once again, Sabalenka ended her run—an opponent who has become a recurring figure in Andreeva’s narrative. But their rivalry would soon take a dramatic turn.

After an early exit in Rome, Andreeva arrived at Roland Garros determined and focused. She dismissed Emina Bektas in the first round, then stunned former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka in a thrilling second-round match. She followed up with wins over Peyton Stearns and Varvara Gracheva, setting up a blockbuster quarterfinal clash with Sabalenka.

In one of the most electrifying matches of the tournament, Andreeva rallied to defeat the world No. 2 in three gripping sets—6-7, 6-4, 6-4—marking her first victory over a top-10 opponent, and her best showing in a Grand Slam to date. Her magical run ended in the semifinals at the hands of Jasmine Paolini, but the message was clear: Andreeva had arrived.

Just weeks later, she captured her first WTA title at the Iasi Open, defeating Elina Avanesyan in the final. Her momentum carried into the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where she partnered with Diana Shnaider in doubles. The young Russian duo stunned the field, reaching the final and earning silver—making Andreeva the second-youngest medalist in Olympic tennis history.

Eyeing the Title in Paris

There’s no denying it—Andreeva has developed into a formidable clay-court contender. Her game translates beautifully to the surface: her movement is fluid, her court sense mature beyond her years, and her shot-making—off both wings—has become a real weapon.

Her serve, once a vulnerability, has shown marked improvement and played a pivotal role in her recent title runs. Physically, she’s stronger, more resilient, and mentally tougher—traits that have made her a nightmare matchup for the world’s elite.

While world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and No. 2 Iga Świątek enter Roland Garros as the leading contenders, Andreeva has already proven she can beat both. She dispatched Świątek twice this year—once in Dubai, again in Indian Wells—and finally conquered Sabalenka at last year’s French Open.

Dark horses like Zheng Qinwen, Jasmine Paolini, and a resurgent Paula Badosa could pose a threat, but few would favor them over the Russian prodigy in a head-to-head clash. With her trajectory, talent, and growing confidence, Mirra Andreeva may not just make another deep run in Paris—she might well be poised to lift the trophy.

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