Mirra Andreeva confirms major ranking breakthrough after reaching China Open final
Mirra Andreeva has secured another huge breakthrough in her very young career. She has secured her top three breakthrough following a commanding 6-2, 6-2 win over Nikola Bartunkova in the semi-finals of the China Open. She will battle for glory on Sunday against either Zheng Qinwen or Elise Mertens.
The 19-year-old is the youngest player to debut in the top three since fellow countrywoman Maria Sharapova back in 2005. It comes after she reached a second WTA 1000 final in 2026, a fourth overall. The Roland Garros champion has capitalised once more following a number of top players exiting the tournament.
There have been no such problems for Andreeva. Wins over Yue Yuan, Polina Kudermetova, Daria Snigur, Ekaterina Alexandrova and most recently Bartunkova have made her the favourite to secure glory in the Chinese capital.
It was also a breakthrough run for Bartunkova. The No.28 seed defeated the likes of Aryna Sabalenka and Karolina Muchova to confirm a first ever semi-final at this level. However, she was unable to secure another upset against a dominant Andreeva.
She began with a bang, sailing in to a 4-0 lead. Already Andreeva was stamping her authority on this tie, but she would need to be careful with a break to love getting the Czech back into the match. Andreeva moved 5-2 to the good before getting the set done against the serve with a second set point being converted.
After both players held to commence the second set, Andreeva produced another burst. After two break points were spurned, a third was created and taken. It seemed the victory was inevitable from here, but Andreeva could not let her foot come off the gas. A hold to love up her 5-2 ahead, and in similar fashion to the first set, got it done against the serve to advance into a fifth final of 2026. Before this year, she has made only four WTA finals, showcasing how good this season has been.
The previous table was incorrect: Andreeva’s quarter-final opponent was Ekaterina Alexandrova, not Daria Snigur. Here is the corrected run, using the 2026 China Open results.
Mirra Andreeva China Open 2026 results
| Round | Opponent | Result |
| Round of 128 | Bye | – |
| Round of 64 | Yuan Yue | 3–6, 6–0, 6–0 |
| Round of 32 | Polina Kudermetova | 6-4, 6-1 |
| Round of 16 | Daria Snigur | 6–2, 6–2 |
| Quarter-final | Ekaterina Alexandrova (19) | 7–6(4), 7–6(3) |
| Semi-final | Nikola Bartunkova (26) | 6–2, 6–2 |
She spoke about the win in her on-court interview. “I wanted to play aggressive today,” she said. “I feel like she’s a very tricky opponent to play against; she has a great serve, she has amazing touch, and she likes to move the ball around. At the same time, with all of that, sometimes she manages to hit rockets out of nowhere, so it was tough to play against her. So yeah, just tried to play aggressive, I’m really happy with how I was playing, I really tried to be brave no matter what, and super happy with my performance today.”
She outlined how important her coach, Conchita Martinez, was in her progress and how they prepare for the events. “Yes, for sure, it’s one of our routines. First, of course, we talk about the match, but when I’m tired of listening to her, we play Uno, and that’s our routine before the match to help me be a little bit more relaxed and have less nerves.
“For sure, I will watch a little bit of their match tonight [Mertens vs Zheng] to also see a lot of different things. I’m sure Conchita will prepare her best. Give me the plan; I rely on her. It’s her job, so I hope she’s going to prepare me well enough for the final. I’m just very excited to be in the final. There are two amazing players in the second semi-final; let’s see who will win, and no matter who I play against, I will try to prepare my best.”
Ranking breakthrough secured with more silverware in sight
Andreeva’s 2026 season has been proof that she not only has a knack for winning but that she is one of the best players in the world for a reason. Her temperament on court has cooled down for the most part, showcasing a much more mature and level-headed tennis player who can get her head down and produce some immense tennis.
Titles in Adelaide and Linz were followed by a final run at the Madrid Open, losing out to Marta Kostyuk. She made up for it by defeating the Ukrainian in the semi-final of the French Open, going on to defeat Maja Chwalinska in the final to win her maiden Grand Slam title.
She has still continued to produce decent results, but nothing up to that standard. She could have reached the semi-finals of the US Open for the first time, but two missed match points proved costly against Coco Gauff.
In Beijing, she is back on top and could leave with more WTA 1000 glory. Consecutive titles in Dubai and Indian Wells last year were the huge breakthrough which confirmed Andreeva’s hype, but she still missed out on her debut WTA Finals campaign. No issues this year, with her set to be competing in the climax event for the very first time. The China Open final run gives her that extra confidence boost, and she will be hopeful of taking home the title in Beijing.
