THIRD-SEEDED Mirra Andreeva shrugged off a slow start and surged to a straight-sets victory over Victoria Mboko, winning 6-3, 6-1 in the Adelaide International final on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026.
An Associated Press (AP) report said Andreeva dropped the first three games of the match before reeling off nine straight and taking 12 of the final 13 to seize control of the championship.
The final showcased the only two players aged under 20 ranked inside the WTA Tour’s top 20, with Andreeva at 18th and Mboko 19th. The Canadian Mboko raced to a 3-0 lead in the opening set, but Andreeva responded emphatically, stringing together 13 consecutive points and dominating the remainder of the set and match.
Mboko again went ahead 3-0 early in the second set before taking a medical timeout, during which her blood pressure and pulse were checked. She returned to win her first game of the set, but Andreeva quickly reasserted herself and closed out the match three games later.
The win marked the fourth WTA title of Andreeva’s young career.
“I’ve been practicing a lot,” Andreeva said. “I’ve been working, sweating …”
Mboko, meanwhile, has quickly climbed the rankings and owns two career titles, having won the WTA 1000 Canadian Open in Montreal last year and the WTA 250 Hong Kong Open.
She is set to rise to a career-high No. 16 ahead of her Australian Open debut on Monday, where she will face fellow teenager Emerson Jones of Australia.
“Sorry I couldn’t be 100 percent, but I want to give a huge congrats to Mirra for playing incredible tennis today and her team, of course, too,” Mboko said.
Andreeva will also begin her Australian Open campaign on Monday against Donna Vekic. She has reached the fourth round at Melbourne Park in each of the past two years.
In the men’s final later Saturday, Tomas Machac defeated Ugo Humbert 6-4, 6-7 (2), 6-2 to claim the Adelaide title, the AP reported. / LBG