Mirra Andreeva Comments on the Brewing Rivalry Between Her and Aryna Sabalenka Ahead of Brisbane
Seven of the top 10 players in the WTA rankings will feature at the Brisbane International including Mirra Andreeva and Aryna Sabalenka.
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Aryna Sabalenka and Mirra Andreeva (image via Instagram @wta)
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Mirra Andreeva has emerged as one of the brightest young talents in the women’s circuit and has also established herself in the top 10 of the WTA rankings. Having won two WTA 1000 titles last season, one of them coming against World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka in the final, the teenage sensation now hopes to meet Sabalenka in 2026.
The rivalry between Sabalenka and Andreeva began in 2023 at the Madrid Open, with the former winning the tie in straight sets. They faced each other again at the same tournament the following year, with Sabalenka beating Andreeva in the quarter-finals. A month later, Andreeva got her revenge at the French Open, beating the World No.1 to reach the semi-finals.
However, Sabalenka made sure to pay back Andreeva for the loss at Roland Garros, as she defeated the Russian teenager twice in less than a month, at the Brisbane International and the Australian Open. But Andreeva had the final say in March, beating the four-time Grand Slam winner in Indian Wells to win her maiden WTA 1000 title.
Their current head-to-head record sees Sabalenka lead 4-2 after six meetings. However, both players haven’t faced each other since then, but they are likely to meet at the Brisbane International, which starts on Sunday (January 4). Andreeva is looking eager to return to the court ahead of the Australian Open after failing to qualify for the WTA Finals in Riyadh in November.
During her press conference in Brisbane, she was asked about the likelihood of facing Sabalenka for the seventh time at the event. The 18-year-old revealed via AAP that her rivalry against Sabalenka has become an interesting one as she has picked up two wins in big tournaments against the Belarusian star:
She beat me four times already and I (have won) two. Maybe the rivalry is a little bit there but she is leading … unfortunately … for now. I think we are going to have a lot of great matches in the future. Obviously, I am going to have to beat some of the top players if I want to win titles. You beat them once or twice and then you get to know them better. In the end that is who you are going to play against during your whole career.
Andreeva began the 2025 season on a high after winning the Dubai Tennis Championships and Indian Wells, but failed to maintain the momentum after the French Open. She misses out on the WTA Finals, with Elena Rybakina toppling her just days before the start of the prestigious season-ending tournament.
Mirra Andreeva hopes to win the 2026 Brisbane International
The Brisbane International is one of the most anticipated events in 2026. The tournament will see seven of the top 10 players compete to win the ATP 500 title. Mirra Andreeva will have to battle hard against the likes of Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Madison Keys, and Amanda Anisimova.
The four players finished the 2025 season better than Andreeva and will be the favorites to win the Brisbane International. During the aforementioned interview, Andreeva noted that she’s going to put in her best efforts to win the title, having reached the quarter-finals of the tournament last January:
I love Brisbane and I love this tournament. I am always super-excited to come here because it is the first tournament of the year and it is held at such a nice place. I have done the quarters, semis and I have to deliver better this year. That is what I am going to try to do.
Andreeva will also have an eye on the Australian Open as she will hope to win her first major title in Melbourne. She reached the round of 16 in 2025. Her best Grand Slam run came at the 2024 French Open, where she reached the semi-final before losing to Jasmine Paolini.
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