Following their recent singles successes at WTA 1000 events, Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider have now claimed the doubles title at the Miami Open presented by Itaú.
In an unseeded doubles final in Miami, Andreeva and Diana Shnaider defeated Cristina Bucsa and Miyu Kato with a score of 6-3, 6-7(5), [10-2] on Sunday. The match lasted 1 hour and 36 minutes, excluding a nearly six-hour rain delay.
This victory marks the second and most significant WTA doubles title for both Andreeva and Shnaider. They previously won their first title as a team at the WTA 500 Brisbane in January and reached the semifinals of the Australian Open later that month.
As of Monday, Andreeva and Shnaider are projected to rise to the No. 2 position in the PIF Race to the WTA Finals doubles rankings, second only to Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend.
In Sunday`s final, three players who had previously won women`s doubles medals at last year`s Olympics were competing. Andreeva and Shnaider won the silver medal in Paris, while Bucsa earned a bronze medal with Sara Sorribes Tormo.
Bucsa and Kato`s performance in Miami marked a turnaround in their season. They had a 0-5 record as a team this year but secured their first win of 2025 in the first round. They then continued their strong run, including an upset against No. 1 seeds Siniakova and Townsend in the semifinals.
However, Andreeva and Shnaider prevented them from winning the title. The 17-year-old Andreeva and 20-year-old Shnaider, both ranked in the Top 15 in singles, fought hard to secure the championship.
Despite an almost six-hour rain delay after the first three games, Andreeva and Shnaider initially took control, leading 6-3, 3-2.
Bucsa and Kato rallied back, forcing a second-set tiebreak with skillful play. They managed to win the second set by capitalizing on well-timed volleys.
In the decisive match-tiebreak, Andreeva and Shnaider`s powerful rallies proved too strong. Shnaider`s left-handed forehand put pressure on their opponents, and Andreeva secured seven championship points at 9-2 with a forehand passing winner.
They needed only one of these points to win, as a strong serve from Shnaider followed by an Andreeva putaway secured them their biggest title and a high position in the PIF Race standings.
More updates to follow…
