Andreeva comes back from early deficit to beat Mboko in the Adelaide International final

Victoria Mboko,right, and Cleeve Harper of Canada compete against Elise Mertens and Zizou Bergs of Belgium in their doubles match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Victoria Mboko,right, and Cleeve Harper of Canada compete against Elise Mertens and Zizou Bergs of Belgium in their doubles match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Carbonatix Pre-Player Loader

Audio By Carbonatix

ADELAIDE, Australia (AP) — Third-seeded Mirra Andreeva trailed 3-0 but came back to win nine games in a row and 12 of the last 13 to beat Victoria Mboko 6-3, 6-1 in the Adelaide International final on Saturday.

The match featured the only players aged under 20 inside the top 20 on the WTA Tour. Andreeva is 18 and Mboko 19.

The Canadian took a 3-0 lead in the first set before Andreeva evened the match, winning 13 consecutive points and dominating the rest of the set and match.

Trailing 3-0 in the second set, Mboko took a medical timeout when her blood pressure and pulse was taken. She returned to win her first game of the second set but Andreeva closed out the match three games later.

It was Andreeva's fourth WTA title.

“I’ve been practicing a lot,” Andreeva said. I’ve been working, sweating . . . "

Mboko has rapidly established herself near the top of the rankings and has two career titles: the WTA 1000 Canadian Open at Montreal last year and the WTA 250 Hong Kong Open.

She will rise to a career-high No. 16 ahead of her Australian Open debut on Monday, where she’ll face another teen in Australia’s Emerson Jones.

“Sorry I couldn’t be 100%, 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 open her Australian Open campaign on Monday, facing Donna Vekic. Andreeva has reached the fourth round at Melbourne Park the past two years.

In the later men’s final at Adelaide, Tomas Machac beat Ugo Humbert 6-4, 6-7 (2), 6-2.

___

More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

 

Salem News Channel Today

Sponsored Links

On Air & Up Next

  • The Joe Mullins Show
    6:00AM - 6:30AM
     
    Listen every Sunday night at 8:00! The Joe Mullins Show - Live, Work, Shop,   >>
     
  • Focus Orlando
    6:30AM - 7:00AM
     
    Join host, Pete Paquette, for conversations with people who make a difference   >>
     
  • Roger Franklin Williams Show
     
    Interviews with local community leaders.
     
  • Smarter Retirement Radio
     
    Money can be fleeting, but memories last a lifetime. Join John Ripley on   >>
     
  • Healthcare Now with Larry Jones and Mark Chaet
     
    The “truth about U.S. healthcare” is the most important issue today. Healthcare   >>
     

See the Full Program Guide