19-year-old Andreeva storms to WTA Finals title on debut without dropping a set
In Indian Wells, the 19-year-old Russian completed a perfect week by beating the 2018 champion for the second time in six days. She is the first teenager to win the WTA Finals since Maria Sharapova in 2004.
Mirra Andreeva, WTA Finals 2026 | © Zuma / PsNewz
Mirra Andreeva has capped an outstanding 2026 season, marked by a first Grand Slam title, by winning the WTA Finals. The 19-year-old Russian beat Elina Svitolina 7-5, 6-3 in the final on Sunday night in Indian Wells, closing out the match at her second match point when the Ukrainian missed a smash.
Andreeva completes a perfect first appearance at the WTA Finals: five matches, five wins, not a set dropped, even if the final was less one-sided than the rest of her run. Since 2003, only Serena Williams in 2012 and Iga Swiatek in 2023 had won the event without dropping a set.
7-5, 6-3 is the same score as in the first meeting between Andreeva and Svitolina, in Indian Wells in March 2025, and it is her second win over the Ukrainian in six days, after their opening group match on Monday. Andreeva now leads their head-to-head 3-1.
It is the first time since 2021, when Garbine Muguruza beat Anett Kontaveit twice, that a player wins the title against an opponent she had already beaten in the round robin.
Nine breaks of serve
The final was a battle of returners, with nine breaks of serve in 21 games. Andreeva broke in the opening game, at her fourth break point, and Svitolina broke back at 2-2. The Russian moved ahead again at 3-3, saved three break points to hold for 5-3, but was broken when serving for the set at 5-4. She immediately struck back, breaking Svitolina at 5-5 on her second break point, before serving out the set at her second set point.
The second set followed the same script. Andreeva broke at once, before Svitolina replied in a marathon game in which she needed seven break points to get back to 1-1. But the Russian broke again at 2-2, survived another long game in which Svitolina saved four break points to hold for 3-4, then broke the Ukrainian one last time to seal the title. Svitolina saved a first match point at 0-40 before missing a smash on the second.
Andreeva converted six of her 16 break points, Svitolina three of 12. Sure of her destiny, the Russian won eight of the last ten points.
Evert, Sharapova, Andreeva
During her week, Andreeva beat Svitolina and Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 6-0, then brushed aside Diana Shnaider 6-2, 6-1, before coming from a break down in both sets to beat Jessica Pegula 6-3, 6-4 in the semi-finals. She reached the final having conceded just 18 games, the fewest by a finalist since the round robin returned in 2003, and finishes the week having lost 26 in five matches.
Andreeva becomes only the third teenager to win the WTA Finals on her debut, after Chris Evert in 1972 and Maria Sharapova in 2004, and the first teenage champion since Sharapova. The Roland-Garros champion also joins Ashleigh Barty, Petra Kvitova, Sharapova, Monica Seles, Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova on the list of players who won their first major and their first WTA Finals in the same year.
She will finish the year as world No 2, the youngest year-end No 2 since Sharapova in 2006. The undefeated title earns her 1,500 ranking points and $3,370,000, a staggering sum but still less than the record $5,235,000 Elena Rybakina collected in Riyadh last year, after the tournament’s move to California cut the prize money.
No second title for Svitolina
Back at the event for the first time since 2019, Svitolina, who was seen in tears during the ceremony, was playing her third WTA Finals final, after beating Sloane Stephens for the title in 2018 and losing to Barty in 2019. After her opening defeat to Andreeva, the 32-year-old had turned her week around, beating Karolina Muchova, a fragile Sabalenka and Linda Noskova to reach the final.
The Ukrainian leaves Indian Wells with $1,270,000 and will end the season at No 6 in the world.
